Roommates
by TheJiffyLube6
Summary: <html><head></head>Brittany and Santana become college roommates. They deal with all of the baggage that comes with living with someone you've never met and more because Santana has a secret crush on Brittany. Will they stay roommates or become something more?</html>
1. Moving In

**Hey all, I was really liking all of the awesome Brittana fanfics so I was inspired to write my own. If you think I should continue with this let me know! I appreciate any and all reviews.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the television show 'Glee' or any of its characters or Breadstix and Sheets and Things._

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><p>"I don't want a fucking roommate!" the young, brunette woman whined to her mother.<p>

"Watch your language, young lady. And you have to have roommate. That's how dorms work. Maybe if you get a good job you could afford your own apartment next year. Until then its student housing for you," the middle-aged Latina informed her daughter, matter-of-factly.

Santana Lopez huffed and folded her arms across her chest in frustration. She had always wanted to get out of her parent's house but she had never had to share a room with anyone. The idea of sleeping in the same room with someone she didn't even know was not something she relished. What if they were filthy and never picked up after them self? What if they were a crazy drug dealer or something? What if they stole her stuff while she was sleeping?

Santana knew that she was jumping straight to the worst case scenario but she'd heard some pretty awful college roommate horror stories from her older friends.

Unfortunately, in high school she had been so busy with Glee Club and cheering that she hadn't had time for a job, so here she was, at Virginia Commonwealth University's residential housing. Never in her entire life could she have imagined going to college out of her home state of Ohio much less in Virginia. It hadn't been her first choice but they had offered her a nice scholarship for cheering so she accepted.

The first thing she had pictured when she realized it was in Richmond, Virginia was a bunch of red necks, but that wasn't the case at all. She had only been here less than an hour but Richmond seemed like a relatively small, eclectic city and everyone had been pretty friendly so far.

"San, Honey, just make sure you don't sleep with her, okay? It'll just make things awkward for the rest of the year," Mrs. Lopez warned, pointing at her daughter accusingly. This statement caused Santana's head to whip around so fast that it made her dizzy for a second.

"Mom! Please! I will not be having this conversation with you right now...or at all...ever," Santana exclaimed disbelievingly. About a year and a half ago she had come out to her mom as a lesbian and she had taken it surprisingly well; almost too well. But she had not yet gained the courage to tell her dad. Every time he had ever talked about gay people he had made it explicitly clear that he thought it was "unnatural."

"I'm just saying," her mom defended, raising her hands in the air in a sign of defeat. They both went silent when her dad appeared a moment later next to them carrying a small microwave in his arms.

"Where should I put this?" Mr. Lopez asked, glancing around the room for a good spot.

Santana's new room was on the second floor of the residence hall, so it was kind of a pain to move all of her stuff in. Street parking was hard to come by so her parents were illegally double parked and were trying to move everything as fast as possible before their car got towed.

"I guess the only place is on top of the mini-fridge," Santana sighed. The room was much too small for two people and felt like a jail cell compared to her room at home. Being an only child she never had to share anything, and she was the first person to admit that it had made her a tad bit spoiled. It didn't help that her dad was a doctor and could spend vast amounts of money on his only daughter; another reason she was hesitant to come out to him.

Letting her eyes wander around the tiny space, she scoffed at how very inadequate it was. There was a bunk bed pressed flush to the wall with the only window. There were two wardrobes and two desks on either side of the room flush against the other walls with a mini-fridge next to the door to the outside.

The one bright spot was that she and her unknown roommate would only have to share a bathroom with two other girls in the adjoining room. Apparently, in other residence halls at VCU whole floors had to share a bathroom. Then again, smart people who lived in the honor dorms got their own room with a private bathroom.

"I think that's it, Honey," her dad breathed as he set the microwave down and flopped into one of the desk chairs. Santana rolled her eyes at him. None of her stuff had been that heavy. Nevertheless, she was glad he was there to do all of the work. The good thing about being the first one there was that she got to claim which parts of the room were going to be hers.

"Thanks, Dad," Santana perched herself on the desk and gave the room another once over. It hardly looked any different since she hadn't really unpacked any of her things or put up any decorations. The only noticeable difference was the television now perched on her wardrobe and the microwave sitting on the mini-fridge, not to mention the boxes on her desk.

"Come on, baby. Let us take you out to lunch before we head back. You might not get a decent meal again for a long time," Mrs. Lopez offered, guiding her grumpy daughter out of the dorm.

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><p>"Oh, Britt, it looks like your new roommate beat us here!" Ms. Pierce exclaimed, walking into the dorm. A moment later her eldest daughter entered with a box in her arms. The blonde glanced around the room she'd be living in for the next year and smiled happily.<p>

"This is nice. This is only a little smaller than me and Lindsey's room," Brittany commented as her younger sister walked in with the only other box.

"You mean 'Lindsey's room'," her teenage sister corrected her, setting her box on top of the one still in Brittany's arms.

The weight of both boxes was now uncomfortably heavy, so Brittany set them down on the desk she assumed would be hers since it didn't have anything on it.

"Hey, look! They brought a microwave!" her mom noticed, ever the optimist. Honestly, Brittany could tell her mom was just trying to hide her sadness at having her eldest daughter go off to college. Brittany felt bad leaving her mom and sister alone but she needed to do this. Her dad had long been out of the picture since he had left them right before Lindsey was born, so her mom had to work twice as hard to raise them both.

While Brittany was sad to leave her mom and sister, she wasn't really worried about making friends; she was really good with new people. What she was nervous about was keeping her grades up to stay qualified for Financial Aid. She knew that she wasn't the smartest but she tried hard. If she couldn't keep her FA then she wouldn't be able to afford college and it would be back to working at Sheets and Things for the rest of her life.

"Yea. Whatever. Can we go now?" Lindsey said with an attitude, placing a hand on her hip in impatience.

"I guess we should head out. Are you sure you don't want us to take you grocery shopping so you can stock up?" Ms. Pierce asked as she pulled her daughter into a tight hug.

"I'll be fine, Mom," Brittany assured her, slowly pulling away. Her mother held her at arm's length as tears began to well up in her eyes.

"You're so dramatic, Mom. See ya, Sis," Lindsey scoffed, giving Brittany a brief hug before practically dragging her mother out of the room.

"Bye! I love you! I'll call you every day!" her mother shouted as the door closed behind them.

"I love you too, Mom," Brittany replied quietly to the empty room.

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><p>"Ah, I am so glad that they have a Breadstix down here," Santana sighed contentedly, as her parents pulled the car in front of the residence hall again.<p>

"I love you. Call us if you need us, Honey," her mom said, reaching her hand back and placing it on her daughter's knee affectionately.

"I will, Mom. I love you. Bye," Santana replied as she stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk. She could see her parents waving at her through the window as they pulled away and for the first time it sunk in; she was really on her own now.

She turned and made her way inside, walking slowly towards her dorm. Once she was at her door, she felt around in her pockets as her heart began to sink.

"Fuck!" she shouted, staring at the sky in anger; she had left her keys in the dorm. She was just about to knock on her neighbor's door to see if they'd let her in when the door opened.

"Are you okay?" a soft, feminine voice asked. Santana turned to see a tall girl at the door looking at her with concern etched on her face. She was extremely pretty wearing jean shorts with a baggy black and white striped shirt. Her long blonde hair fell on her shoulders in soft waves and Santana was temporarily incapable of coherent speech.

"Yea...uh...I locked my keys in here...this is my room," Santana managed after an awkward moment of silence in which the blonde girl looked at her even more worriedly. She couldn't tell if she was worried about her well being or her sanity at this point though.

"Oh! Are you my roommate?" the girl exclaimed excitedly after her brain caught up, rewarding Santana with a bright smile.

"It looks that way," Santana replied, returning the smile. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all. The girl moved to the side and she nodded gratefully to her as she stepped into the room.

"I'm Brittany, by the way," the girl introduced, holding her hand out to the Latina.

"Santana. Nice to meet you," she replied, taking the offered hand. She was surprised by how incredibly soft and warm it was and she almost forgot to release it.

"I noticed you got here first. Which bunk did you claim?" Brittany asked, eyeing the top bunk wistfully. For some odd reason, Santana didn't have the desire to be mean to this girl which was a new and different experience for her. 'Bitch' was typically her default setting.

"I was leaning towards the bottom, but it doesn't matter to me," she decided on the spot and Brittany seemed really happy about this.

"Great! Would you mind if I started unpacking?" Brittany's blue eyes sparkled with excitement. Santana usually found people like her extremely annoying, but this girl seemed to intrigue her more than anything.

"I was going to do the same thing actually," Santana followed Brittany's lead and began to put sheets on her bunk and unpack her things.

"I had no idea it was this warm in the fall down here. It's still pretty cold at home," Brittany commented as she set up her alarm clock on her desk.

"I know exactly what you mean. In Ohio I was comfortable in my jacket, then I stepped out of the car here and I felt like I was boiling," Santana commented, smoothing her comforter and not noticing that Brittany had paused.

"No way! I'm from Ohio. What part are you from?" Brittany asked, interested.

"Lima Heights," the Latina answered, putting down her pillow to look at the blonde.

"I'm from Lima! What are the chances! That's so weird," Brittany exclaimed, her eyes wide in disbelief as she stared at Santana.

"That's crazy. I wonder who planned that," Santana couldn't believe they had lived so close. She wouldn't feel too far from home now that she and her new roommate could reminisce about it.

For the next hour or so they talked all about Lima and found out more about each other. Santana learned that Brittany was a dancer and wanted to start her own dance studio after college. It was easy to tell that the blonde was athletic because of her lean frame and toned legs, but Santana was trying her damndest not to pay attention to that.

The only thing she could think was that, of all the girls they could have made her roommate they had to choose the most attractive one of all. Brittany seemed oblivious to Santana staring at her and continued to talk about her family.

"Lindsey pretends to be a jerk but she really is a good kid," the blonde told her with a faraway look in her eyes. Santana finished unpacking her boxes and set the last one on the floor.

"I'm an only child, but I'm more than okay with that," she commented, flopping down on the bottom bunk.

"Do you mind?" Brittany asked, gesturing to the spot beside Santana on her bed.

"Not at all," she answered, scooting over to give her more space. There was something about this girl that made her want to be nice to her. Maybe it was her innocence or the fact that she was just so freaking friendly, but whatever the reason it was making Santana feel weird.

Her usual experience with people was extreme bitchiness under the guise of being ultra honest. The truth was that back in high school she was so bitter that she couldn't be herself since her popularity was based on a complete lie.

She had played the role of the slut back in Ohio, but that's not who she really was. Sleeping with a bunch of guys was her way of proving herself to everyone so they would never stop to question sexuality.

Santana had never really had a girlfriend though, just a series of one night stands. The only difference is that she actually enjoyed sex with women as opposed to feeling disgusting after she did it with men. Not one of her relationships revolved around anything but emotionless sex and she hoped moving to a new place would change all of that.

Her reverie was interrupted when Brittany suddenly stood up and made her way over to the bathroom that connected their room with their neighbors. She opened the door and on the other side were two girls. Santana stood up as well; she had been so distracted that she hadn't even heard them knock.

The girl on the left looked like the epitome of a diva in yellow leather shoes and leopard print leggings. The other girl was smaller with her blonde hair pulled into a tight pony tail and the phrase that came to mind was 'American as apple pie.'

"Hi, we just thought we would come by and introduce ourselves since we'll be seeing a lot of each other. I'm Quinn," the blonde girl said, holding out her hand to Brittany.

"And I'm Mercedes," the other girl introduced herself. Santana forced a polite smile, it seemed like her bitchiness hadn't really gone anywhere after all.

"Santana," she said, shaking the two girl's hands.

"I'm Brittany. Nice to meet you. I hope we all can be good friends," Brittany gushed, and the Latina almost gagged at how very cheesy and earnest that sounded.

"Definitely. Oh, by the way, some juniors are throwing a party tomorrow night to kick off the semester. It's right down the road within walking distance. Do you guys want to come with us?" Quinn invited, looking from Brittany to Santana and back.

"Sounds like fun!" Brittany looked genuinely excited and was practically bouncing on her heels. Santana was much more subdued; something about this Quinn girl rubbed her the wrong way.

"Cool. We'll knock on your door around nine and we can all go together," Mercedes said, already looking bored with conversation.

"All right, see you then," Santana finished the conversation and closed the door behind them after they left.

"Wow, our first college party!" Brittany grinned at Santana who was a little less thrilled. She had been to college parties before and in all honesty she didn't get all the hype. In her opinion, they were just a way for the upperclassmen to sleep with some freshman girls who just wanted to fit in, but she wasn't going to ruin it for the other girl.

"I think I'm going to run to the grocery store and pick up some essentials," Santana changed the subject quickly, remembering to grab her keys this time.

"Can I come? I need some stuff too," Brittany asked hopefully and the Latina didn't have the heart to tell her no.

"Sure," she replied, holding the door open for her and they made their way out of the residence hall and into the street. They both weren't really sure of where they were going but neither seemed to mind.

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><p>Every once in a while Brittany would look out of the corner of her eye at Santana. There was just something about this girl that Brittany couldn't put her finger on. She had only known her a few short hours but the blonde girl could tell that she and the Latina were going to get along just fine.<p>

When talking with Quinn and Mercedes, she seemed aloof, rude even, but when it was just them in the dorm she seemed like such a sweet person.

Brittany was so distracted by her thoughts that she began crossing the street without looking. A firm hand grabbed her arm and stopped her as a car whizzed past, inches in front of her.

"Look out!" Santana shouted at her, breathing hard in panic. She still hadn't removed her hand but had loosened the pressure somewhat.

"Sorry! I must have spaced out," Brittany admitted embarrassedly, looking down at her feet in shame at how stupid she was.

"You should be more careful. People would think I killed my roommate so I could have the dorm all to myself" Santana joked, letting her hand slide down and fall limply at her side.

"Thanks," Brittany let out a small laugh and checked the road this time before stepping off the curb.

The rest of the trip to the grocery store was much less eventful and they soon arrived at a place that looked promising. Santana grabbed a rolling cart and they began making their way up and down the long, well-stocked aisles.

"What kind of dancing do you do?" Santana questioned, trying to learn a little bit more about her new roommate.

"All kinds really, but my favorite is hip hop," Brittany admitted while grabbing an armful of Ramen noodles.

"Is that what you're majoring in?" the Latina asked her, dropping some Mac and Cheese in the cart as well.

"Yep. It's a lot of fun and hopefully it'll protect me from the 'freshman 15,'" she replied, grabbing her stomach and falling into step beside Santana. It felt nice hanging out with her, even if they were just getting groceries. She couldn't deny that it made her feel a little too much like an adult though.

From beside her she could hear the Latina let out a snort of laughter.

"I don't think anyone is immune to that," she teased as they were coming down the last aisle.

"Darn, it was worth a try. What's your major?" Brittany enjoyed talking to her. She had lots of friends back in Ohio but something was special about Santana. They just clicked instantly.

"Ha, well about that... I'm kinda undeclared right now. I got a scholarship for cheering," Santana grinned sheepishly and distracted herself by grabbing some Gatorade.

"Wow, I never would have guessed that," Brittany giggled trying to picture the Latina in a cheerleading uniform.

"You should come watch us sometime," Santana suggested and then seemed to have realized what she said so she continued, "I mean, I think you'd appreciate it since you're a dancer and all."

"I'd like that. Maybe you could come see me dance sometime too," Brittany said seriously as they got to the registers.

"Definitely," Santana agreed surprising herself with that answer. She lifted her things out of the cart and began putting them up on the register. She noticed that the blonde woman hadn't really bought anything except Ramen and a two-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper.

"These are mine too," the Latina addressed the cashier, lifting Brittany's things onto the register beside her own.

"Oh, you don't have to do that! I've got money," Brittany argued but the woman had already rung it up.

"Don't worry about it. If you feel that bad you can give me two bucks because that's all it cost," Santana assured, giving her a teasing smile.

As they walked back to their dorm a comfortable silence enveloped them. Thankfully, they hadn't bought too much so the bags weren't very heavy or burdensome.

Once they got back to their dorm they unpacked their groceries and hung out the rest of the night watching the television Santana had brought from home. When it started to get pretty late she turned it off and Brittany did the same with the lights.

As they both laid there in their respective bunks Brittany couldn't help but think about how Santana had saved her from getting hit by that car. Then, on top of that she had paid for her stuff at the grocery store. The Latina was probably already falling asleep but she felt the need to say something to her.

"Santana," Brittany spoke timidly through the dark.

"Yea, Britt?" Santana responded which caused a smile from the blonde. She was already shortening her name.

"I'm glad they made us roommates," was all Brittany had to say and she pulled the covers up over her body in preparation for sleep.

"Me too...Good night," Santana half-whispered but she heard it and replied just as quietly,

"Good night."


	2. Party

**Wow! You all are amazing! Almost 20 reviews for the first chapter! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. How could I not continue after a response like that? Chapters will typically be this length or a tad longer. I end them when it feels right. I hope you all enjoy!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

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><p>Too early Santana's alarm clock went off and she slowly got up to go turn it off. She had put it across the room on her desk in an attempt for her to avoid hitting the snooze button and falling back asleep. Why'd she have to be so freaking smart?<p>

Walking over, she slammed the off button and began to quietly get ready for her first morning of cheer practice. Every once in a while she would bang her knee on something or stub her toe, but amazingly Brittany remained sound asleep.

Santana had to admit that she and the blonde girl had hit it off immediately. She was just afraid that Brittany wouldn't like her anymore if she knew the truth about her sexuality. It didn't help that the Latina was pretty sure she had a slight crush on her.

One of the hardest things about being a lesbian, for Santana, was meeting new people and having to make the difficult decision about whether it was safe to tell them. She knew that she should be brave and tell everyone or at least try not to hide it, but she had some pretty bad experiences in high school.

After a few minutes of fumbling around in her wardrobe she had managed to find some clothes. Luckily, the cheering squad didn't have uniforms for the new people yet, so she was allowed to wear some comfy sweatpants and a t-shirt.

She felt a little awkward changing in front of the sleeping blonde, but she seemed dead to the world. Deciding not to risk it, Santana went into the bathroom, making sure both her and Brittany's door was locked as well as Quinn and Mercedes'. She changed her clothes quickly and threw her hair into a tight ponytail. Santana filled up a bottle with some water, grabbed her cheering bag, and left as quietly as possible, giving Brittany's sleeping form one last glance before closing the door quietly behind her.

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><p>Light from the window fell directly on Brittany's face. In her attempt to escape it she rolled over and buried her face in the pillow. It was too late though; she was awake. Sighing in frustration, she sat up and rubbed her eyes to clear them of sleep. When she was finally able to open them and focus her vision, she saw that it was around ten in the morning. This would have been bad any other morning but thankfully classes didn't start until Monday. Seeing as how it was only Saturday, ten was much too early to be awake.<p>

With all of that light flooding into the room there was no way she'd be able to fall back asleep, so she hopped down from the top bunk. She stretched her limbs before plopping down at her desk and pulled out her laptop computer.

Brittany fully intended to check her e-mail but she was interrupted by a beeping from her phone. Unplugging it from the charger, she glanced at the screen to see that she had two missed calls and she had a text. She must have slept through all of that beeping; she hoped her new alarm clock was super loud to get through her deep sleep.

Her mom had called her and her best friend, Kurt, had texted her. She decided to read the text first. It said: "**hey Britt! I miss you already. Girl, you need to fail all your classes so you can come home to me!"**

A smile spread across her face as she thought about her friend, Kurt Hummel. He was such a sweet and caring person, but his best trait was the ability to make people laugh. When they were really little they took a dance class together and they'd been best friends ever since.

They were so close that she had been the first person he trusted enough to come out to. Brittany had known way before he ever admitted it to himself, but it was just something he had to figure out on his own.

She decided to text him back later, but right now she was going to call her mom back. As the phone rang she lifted her legs up onto her desk and leaned backwards.

"Britt! I thought you had forgotten about your mother already!" Ms. Pierce's voice reprimanded.

"Hi, Mom. You called me. What's up?" Brittany asked, wondering why her mom had called her so early in the morning.

"Can't a mother call her daughter?" she said, trying to sound affronted.

"I guess...are you literally going to call me every day?" Brittany asked, in mock frustration.

"No...maybe...probably...yes," was her mother's drawn out response. At that moment the front door opened and a sweaty Santana walked in. She was about to say something, but she saw that Brittany was on the phone and opted for a simple wave and a smile.

"Is your roommate nice? What's her name?" Ms. Pierce continued, oblivious to the fact that someone else was in the room with Brittany now.

"Mom, I gotta go. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?" Brittany avoided the question; it was too awkward with the Latina standing right there.

"All right, Sweetie. I love you," her mother replied, sounding a little disappointed that the conversation had been so short.

"I love you too, bye," Brittany finished and hung up when her mom answered with her own farewell.

"You didn't have to hang up," Santana told her, looking slightly guilty. The Latina grabbed a towel out of her wardrobe as well other things she needed for a shower.

"Oh, I know. She's going to call me again tomorrow anyway," Brittany replied and watched as Santana pulled out her hair tie, letting her dark hair fall down her shoulder in waves. For some reason, this caused a strange twinge in the pit of the blonde's stomach. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, the exact opposite in fact. She decided to not pick it apart but instead turned back around to her computer.

"Did you just wake up?" Santana asked, biting back a laugh.

"Yea, about an hour ago," seeing the bemused expression on the Latina's face, Brittany continued, "What? I need my beauty sleep!"

"No you don't," Santana muttered, causing that feeling to return in Brittany's stomach, but when she opened her mouth to reply the Latina was already in the bathroom.

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><p>Brittany had almost torn through her entire wardrobe trying to find an outfit for the party that night. All Santana could do was watch with thinly veiled amusement as she dried her long hair with a towel.<p>

"We have a few hours, you know?" Santana commented bemusedly as she leaned against the bathroom's doorframe to watch the frantic blonde.

"Have to make a good first impression," Brittany muttered to her clothes. Becoming increasingly frustrated, she whispered to herself, "I wish Kurt was here. He would know what I should wear."

"Is Kurt your boyfriend?" Santana asked quietly, afraid of the answer. The blonde snorted with laughter and finally met her gaze.

"I don't have a boyfriend," Brittany began, still smiling she continued, "Kurt is my best friend, not to mention he's gay."

Santana released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She learned two very important things about Brittany in that one statement. One, Brittany was single; and, two, she obviously couldn't be a homophobe if her best friend was gay. Santana decided it was time to change the subject before Brittany noticed how relieved she was.

"What's wrong with what you're wearing? I think you look cute," Santana could've slapped herself. Did she really just say that? What kind of idiot says that to someone they just met yesterday?

"Thanks, but no one will notice me in this outfit if I stand next to you," Brittany said distractedly. Santana could feel the heat rise up her neck and into her face. Was she blushing? She had to turn away just in case the blonde noticed her smile of pleasure at her comment.

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><p>Brittany had finally been convinced by Santana that her outfit was perfect for a party when Mercedes and Quinn knocked on their door.<p>

"You guys ready to go?" Mercedes asked when Santana opened the door.

"Yep! Let's go," Brittany called and walked quickly out of the dorm. She glanced to her side to Santana and was so jealous of the Latina. She looked so well put together in her skinny jeans, purple blouse, and leather jacket. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders and Brittany felt the strange desire to run her fingers through it.

She froze in place at this thought and the other three girls paused to look at her. Why was she thinking that about Santana's hair? Was that normal? She decided to not pick it apart too much.

"Are you all right, Britt?" Santana asked with a concerned tone in her voice.

"I'm good!" she said almost too quickly and sped to catch back up with them.

Brittany pushed those thoughts out her mind and chatted amiably with the other two girls. Santana seemed pretty quiet but maybe it was just because she was nervous about her first party as a college student?

It was easy to tell which house the party was in once they approached the last three blocks. Loud music was thumping a beat on the sidewalk and people were constantly walking in and out of the door.

"I guess this is it," Quinn pointed out and they all made their way into the fray. Without even looking around, Brittany could tell that there was a plentiful supply of alcohol and everyone else around them seemed to have gotten a head start.

A group of incredibly drunk guys already had an intense game of beer pong going on while a group of equally drunk women watched. It didn't take long for the four of them to part ways with each other, but Santana tried to stick as close to Brittany as possible. The blonde just seemed so naïve and she was afraid that someone would try to take advantage of her, especially after she had a few drinks in her.

Out of the corner of her eye Santana saw Quinn walk upstairs with a guy with a short mohawk. She hadn't even had anything to drink yet and she was already hooking up with some guy; maybe she knew him, at least Santana was going to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Mercedes seemed to have disappeared immediately because Santana could no longer see her in the crowd of drunken college students.

"I think I'm going to get a drink. Do you want one?" Brittany asked her. The Latina directed her attention once again to the blonde and nodded her head.

"I'll come with you," she replied and it was amazing they could hear each other over the pounding of the music. It seemed to shake the entire house, but no one else looked like they were bothered by it. It would only be a matter of time before she developed a migraine.

They made their way to the keg, grabbed the all-too-familiar red plastic cups, and served themselves. Santana had to admit that beer wasn't really her thing. In the early years of high school she had forced herself to get drunk often so she could tolerate being with guys.

"You want to dance?" Brittany asked, looking hopefully at her. Santana should have foreseen this. The blonde was in fact a dancer; why wouldn't she want to dance? Unfortunately, Santana was no a dancer, not even close and she was not about to embarrass herself in front of the blonde.

"I think I'll watch," the Latina responded with a smirk, forcing herself to take a sip of the cheap beer. Brittany shrugged and set her beer down on a nearby table, making her way over into the middle of a group of dancing people.

Not feeling the need to submit herself to anymore of the beer, Santana put hers down as well. She folded her arms and casually leaned against the wall, keeping her eyes on Brittany.

The blonde stood out like a sore thumb in the group of drunken people who were kind of just bouncing in place. Brittany's eyes were closed and she was actually dancing to the music in quick, graceful movements. Her long blonde hair was whipping around her head and sweat was beginning to form on her arms and legs.

Santana was so distracted watching Brittany dance that she didn't notice the guy that had started to cozy up to the blonde. It took her a moment to realize that someone else was there and that someone else was extremely intoxicated.

Brittany seemed to have just noticed the guy and was subtly trying to put distance between herself and him. In his drunken state, the guy didn't seem to have gotten the hint because he just danced right up to her again, this time wrapping his arms around Brittany.

Santana could feel a fire building in her chest that she recognized instantly as anger. Brittany was easily taller than this guy by at least half a foot, not to mention she looked to be in much better shape, but that didn't make the Latina any less worried about her.

The guy had gotten so insistent that Brittany had stopped dancing and was physically pushing him away at this point. Santana decided that it was time to do something.

She walked over to them and tapped him on the shoulder roughly. He was easily larger than her, but that wasn't what was intimidating. It was the fact that he was clearly inebriated; people tended to overreact and become unpredictable when they were drunk.

"I think she wants you to back off," Santana warned him, eyeing him aggressively. He looked around as if she had to be talking to someone other than him then met her gaze defiantly.

"What are you? Her girlfriend? Why don't _you_ back off?" he slurred and Santana almost gagged on his alcohol drenched breath. As if to enunciate his point, he shoved the Latina, but she firmly held her ground.

"Hey, don't push her!" Brittany yelled at him and put her body in between theirs. She was actually quite imposing standing to her full height and clenching her fists.

"Bitches," he muttered under his breath and made his way back over to the keg. He seemed to have realized that he was outnumbered or that it wasn't worth it. Either way, he was gone.

"Thank, San," Brittany turned to face the Latina and she seemed genuinely upset.

"Are you kidding? You're the one that scared him off," Santana admitted, attempting to calm herself after the confrontation. She hadn't shown it but it had shaken her a bit.

"I...I think I want to leave now," the blonde said timidly, the encounter had apparently bothered her too.

"Yea. Let's go," she agreed, leading her out onto the sidewalk. They walked back towards the dorms in silence, both too immersed in their own thoughts.


	3. First Day

**You all are amazing reviewers! I appreciate all of the wonderful feedback and I hope this is living up to your expectations. I have big plans for this story. Thanks again and enjoy! **

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

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><p>Santana lay awake in her bunk for hours after the party. She was absolutely exhausted but the thoughts that were racing through her mind wouldn't allow her sleep.<p>

When she and Brittany had gotten home from the party there had been so many things she had wanted to say to the blonde girl. The words just wouldn't come, so they both went to their separate bunks in silence.

That had been about four hours ago and still Santana couldn't fall asleep. Sometime around one o'clock in the morning she heard Mercedes and Quinn stumble into their room next door. Every once in a while she thought about getting up and doing something, but she didn't want to disturb Brittany's sleep.

The Latina had been surprised by her own reaction to that guy at the party. It was just something about the way he had his hands all over Brittany that pissed her off. Santana was sure that the blonde could have taken care of herself, but Brittany had actually seemed more upset when he had pushed _her_.

It felt good for someone to stick up for her like that especially someone she was pretty sure she had a crush on. Santana put on a strong front but when it came down to it she would probably get her ass kicked if she was ever in a real fight.

Never in her life had she put her safety on the line to stand up for someone. Something in her felt the need to protect Brittany from anything and everything even if it was unnecessary. That guy probably would have gotten the hint eventually, but Santana hated the idea of anyone touching the blonde.

Her thoughts always returned to what the guy had said to her.

"_What are you? Her girlfriend?"_

The moment she heard those words, Santana had thought that Brittany would find out her secret. While she was afraid of the other girl's reaction, at the same time she was strangely thrilled by the idea of being of called her girlfriend.

Santana wasn't any closer to sleep when she heard the sound of Brittany moving around above and then her soft voice.

"Santana? Are you still awake?" Brittany whispered, causing the Latina to look up and see her head hanging over the side of the top bunk, her blonde hair falling down around her in waves.

"Yea. Can't sleep either?" Santana asked, watching as Brittany climbed down and took a seat beside her on the bottom bunk. The blonde leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, giving Santana the perfect opportunity to look at her.

Her pajamas consisted of red short shorts and a thin, black tank top that clung to her. The Latina felt a little guilty staring at her like this but it was hard to pull her eyes away from the beautiful woman beside her. In order to distract herself, Santana leaned back and forced herself to close her eyes as well.

"I'm sorry I made you leave the party," she heard Brittany's voice say to her left. This caused her eyes to flash open and she sat up so she could look at the blonde more directly.

"Are you kidding? That guy was all over you," Santana reminded her with an incredulous look on her face.

"Yea, but you could've stayed. I didn't mean to ruin the party for you," the blonde actually felt guilty. Santana couldn't comprehend how she could blame herself for something that was so clearly not her fault.

"Britt," Santana said and the blonde girl was almost forced to look her in the eyes, so she continued, "That guy was way out of line. I didn't want to stay at a party with people like that. I'm not much of a party girl anyway."

This statement was somewhat true. Ever since she had come out as a lesbian she had gone to less and less parties. For a while she would hook up randomly with some girl, only to find out that the girl wasn't really interested. That happened a lot and Santana had a hard time finding girls who actually wanted to be with her and not just making out with her for the attention of some guy.

Being attracted to someone was easy; the hard part was all the crap she had to do in order to act on it. For example, she always had to make sure she was at a party where it was even safe to be 'out.' If she did feel okay about the people around her she had to try to and find someone she was attracted to who also "played for her team." Then she had to make sure they weren't just drunk and didn't have a clue as to what they were doing. It was usually much too complicated to meet someone at parties, so Santana tried to avoid them if at all possible.

"Thanks," Brittany mumbled, looking down and Santana already missed her bright blue eyes. She was just starting to get comfortable again when she heard the girl beside her sigh in frustration.

"How come some guys just can't take a hint?" the blonde asked rhetorically, and Santana's mind began to race. She already knew she was in trouble for over analyzing ever word that came out of Brittany's mouth but this was getting ridiculous.

All she could think was that maybe Brittany meant that guys couldn't take the hint that she liked girls. That couldn't be it though; she probably just meant it in the usual sense: guys couldn't take a hint that she wasn't interested in them.

"You're really pretty. I'm sure lots of guys hit on you," Santana complimented her, and for some reason, she wasn't embarrassed about saying it. She looked to her side and she couldn't quite tell in the dark, but it almost looked like a blush was creeping up Brittany's neck.

"I should get used to it. I just got a job as a waitress at Breadstix," she said, deliberately not meeting the Latina's gaze.

"Let me know if anyone bothers you. I'll take care of them...in exchange for free breadsticks," Santana offered, jokingly flexing her muscles which awarded her with a giggle from Brittany.

"Thanks. I think I'm going to try and sleep again. Good night," the blonde murmured quietly and practically threw herself into the top bunk.

"Good night," Santana whispered, and she didn't even try to prevent the wide smile that stretched across her face.

* * *

><p>The next morning Brittany crawled out of bed only to see Santana already awake and getting ready to leave.<p>

"Where are you going? It's Sunday. I thought you didn't have cheer practice today?" the blonde mumbled groggily, trying to focus her eyes through a haze of sleep.

"I'm going for a run. Want to come?" the Latina replied, holding her ankle in the air behind her to stretch it. Finally, Brittany's eyes adjusted and she wasn't so sure that was a good thing because there, in nothing but a sports bra and some shorts, was Santana.

Her olive skin looked so smooth and soft as it stretched tight over her muscles. Her toned arms and legs were particularly distracting, but nothing compared to her flat stomach. To say she was in shape would be an understatement. All Brittany could think about was how incredibly...

Suddenly, she was wide awake and began to panic slightly. Why was she having these thoughts about her roommate? This wasn't right.

"Uhm, I think I'll just stay here," she sputtered, sitting up straight in her bed. Santana shrugged in a 'suit-yourself' kind of way and walked out the door with a wave.

As soon as she closed the door, Brittany jumped down from her bunk and grabbed her cell phone. There was only one person who could answer the questions swirling through her head at that moment and she prayed he picked up.

"Hey, Britt! Are you coming home yet?" Kurt joked, and Brittany was immediately relieved to hear such a familiar voice.

"Kurt, I have a serious situation here," she informed him, panic rising in her again.

"Whoa, slow down, Britts. What is it?" she could tell in his voice that he was worried about her, so she felt bad for making it sound like it was life and death.

"My roommate is super hot," she gushed as images of Santana's abs flashed before her eyes. There was silence on the other end of the phone for a moment and then a fit of giggles.

"Oh, this is too good!" Kurt exclaimed into her ear after he caught his breath from laughing so hard.

"You're supposed to give me advice, not laugh at me, you big jerk," Brittany scolded him sarcastically, but a smile was on her face nonetheless.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. Why is it so bad to have a gorgeous roommate?" Kurt asked, trying to be serious now.

"Because...," Brittany trailed off, once again distracted by thoughts of the Latina's body.

"No way! You like her!" Kurt yelled into the mouthpiece and Brittany had to hold it away from her ear. It was true though. She had only known Santana for a few days but the attraction she felt for her was almost instantaneous.

"I do, but...does that make me a...a lesbian?" she stuttered uncomfortably. She sure as hell didn't judge people on who they were attracted to, but is that really who she was?

"Not necessarily. Britt, you can identify yourself however you want to," Kurt assured her, his voice somber.

"I know. It's just that I've never been seriously attracted to anyone before, and of course the first person I'm attracted to is my roommate for the entire year," Brittany admitted to her best friend.

"Does she seem interested?" he asked, trying to assess the situation. The blonde let out a small laugh and sighed into the phone.

"I don't know, but I can't mess up this friendship we've just built. I don't want any awkwardness to be between us for a whole year," Brittany said resignedly. She couldn't act on her feelings, even if she was brave enough to. Not to mention, she wasn't even entirely sure the extent of her feelings. All she knew was that Santana was extremely gorgeous.

"How about me and Blaine come down there next weekend? We can meet this sexy roommate of yours and you can show us around town. What do you say?" Kurt offered. Honestly, she loved the idea of her best friend and his boyfriend coming to visit.

"I'd like that a lot. Thanks, Kurt," she said sincerely.

"No problem. I have to go. Keep me updated, okay?" he demanded, only half-seriously.

"I will. Bye," she replied, and hung up feeling a little bit better about her situation.

* * *

><p>Santana ran around all of the buildings where her classes would be and then back finally, which added up to about three miles all together. She really enjoyed running; it made her feel good and it helped to clear her mind.<p>

On the last block before she got to the residence hall, she slowed to a walk in order to cool down her muscles. As she made her way up the stairs in the residence hall, she noticed Brittany sitting on the topmost stair talking on her cell phone.

The blonde hadn't noticed her yet so Santana waved at her to get her attention. Brittany met her gaze and a beautiful smile spread across her face. She pointed to the phone in her hand and mouthed the word 'mom' while rolling her eyes.

Santana gave her an understanding smile and made her way into the dorm to freshen up. By the time she was done with her shower, Brittany was back in the dorm watching reruns of some show Santana didn't recognize.

She didn't even have a chance to sit down because as she was drying her hair someone knocked on the front door. Brittany seemed just as surprised as she was as she glanced over at her questioningly.

Dropping her towel on the chair, Santana made her way over to the door. She looked through the peep hole but the previous tenants seemed to have scratched it up making it almost impossible to see.

The Latina opened the door and saw a short, brunette girl there. The stranger smiled brightly at her with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Hi! I'm Rachel. I'm the RA for this floor. That stands for Resident's Assistant," the girl told her matter-of-factly. Santana already knew what RA stood for, but she didn't have time to correct her.

Brittany walked up beside her and she looked even taller standing next to this Rachel girl. Rachel looked up at her as well, but her smile never faltered.

"Oh, hi. Anyway, I just came by to introduce myself and give you the dorm rules," Rachel informed, handing Santana a thick packet of paper. Without giving them a chance to respond, she waved and walked away quickly.

Santana turned to grin at Brittany who seemed just as amused by their RA as she was.

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><p>They would have both been lying if they said they weren't excited about their first day of college classes. Brittany was a little nervous but her and Santana actually had their math class together on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They had both registered for classes a long time ago and the fact that they had both picked the same math class out of all the time slots was pretty amazing.<p>

Ever since she realized that her feelings for Santana might be more than just pure friendship, Brittany had tried to keep her distance from her. It wasn't easy trying to block the Latina from her mind when they were together almost constantly, but Kurt would be coming that weekend. He would help her figure this out.

Her first class, bright and early Monday morning was Biology 101. Science just wasn't her thing but luckily most teachers would just be going through syllabi, or so she had heard.

Once she had survived that class, she walked around the main campus and just explored her new surroundings before her next one. As she approached the Commons, she saw lines of tables for student groups. It seemed like they were out in full force to get the new freshmen to join up.

She picked up a few pamphlets from a Gay and Lesbian Alliance and was about to keep walking on when she saw the cheerleading table. Santana was there in a short, black and gold cheerleading uniform and looking as beautiful as ever.

For some reason Quinn was there, talking and laughing with Santana and for a brief moment Brittany felt a jolt of jealousy. She mentally kicked herself for these ridiculous thoughts.

Brittany's feet acted of their own accord and led her straight to the Latina. By the time she got there Quinn was leaving and Brittany realized that she probably wanted to try out for the cheering squad, that's all. Santana looked up at her and smiled broadly, her white teeth in contrast with her dark skin.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Santana walked around the table in order to talk to her better. Brittany had a hard time meeting the Latina's dark eyes, but when she did, she couldn't look away.

"Just walking around between classes. Quinn wants to be a cheerleader?" Brittany asked, ashamed of her unfounded jealousy.

"Yea, what about you?" Santana asked, smiling at her. If Brittany didn't know any better, she would think the Latina was flirting with her. Maybe that was just her wishful thinking though.

"Oh, I don't think so. I wouldn't want to make you look bad," Brittany teased and Santana put a hand to her heart in mock hurt.

"Wow, really? Now you have to try out," Santana challenged her with a smirk and Brittany was temporarily distracted by her full lips. Realizing what she was doing, she quickly met the Latina's eyes and changed the subject.

"I'll think about it. Oh, I meant to ask you yesterday, do you mind if Kurt and his boyfriend come to visit this weekend? Don't worry they'd stay in a hotel," she added the last part quickly so Santana wouldn't think they'd all be crammed in that one small dorm room.

"I don't mind at all. I get to meet the fabulous Kurt," Santana joked, and Brittany had a hard time trying to tone down her own smile.

"I should get to class. I'll see you later," Brittany waved and walked away quickly. She really enjoyed seeing Santana but these feelings were really starting to confuse her.

At least her next class had potential; it was her first dance class. Since it was only her first year she was basically stuck in core classes that the university required for all students. Luckily, she was able to take an introductory modern dance class and she was really excited about it.

Miraculously, Brittany had managed to find both of her classrooms today without getting lost or being late. When she stepped into her next class she was deeply impressed by the space they had. It was a large room with a wood floor and a giant mirror on one of the walls. In different corners there were all kinds of training equipment, such as a ballet bar and soft mats, as well as a piano. Brittany had a feeling that this was where all the dance classes were held.

There weren't many people here yet, but those who were took a seat on the floor. The teacher, Mr. Schuester, had sent out an e-mail earlier in the week telling them that they wouldn't be doing any dancing on the first day so not to worry about how to dress.

About a minute before the class was about to start, a man with curly brown hair walked in the classroom. The only reason she could tell he was the teacher was the fact that he looked to be in his early thirties. A moment later a lanky Asian guy sat next to her on the floor and smiled at her in a friendly way.

"I was kinda hoping we were going to do some dancing today," the guy said and Brittany realized he was talking to her.

"Me too," she replied, giving him a small smile. He seemed like a nice guy and it was easy to see he was a dancer from his physique. He was a good looking guy but for some reason he wasn't attractive to her in the slightest. This thought only worried her more about her sexuality.

"Mike Chang," he introduced, holding his hand out to her.

"Brittany Pierce," she took his hand and then turned her attention to the teacher.

"Hey, Everybody! I'm Mr. Schuester. I hate to do this to you, but we have to go through the syllabus. University rules, not mine," he informed while handing them all copies of the class policies.

By the time they were through, it was almost time to leave. Brittany was bummed that they didn't get to do anything but Mr. Schuester was a really funny teacher. She knew it was going to be a good class and everyone seemed nice enough.

She was almost out of the building when Mike caught up with her.

"Hey, I know we just met, but I was wondering if you would want to go get some coffee with me or something," he asked, and he seemed genuinely interested in her. When she looked at him there was just nothing there. He was good looking and nice, but for some reason she had no desire to go out with him.

"Sorry, I...I'm seeing someone," Brittany lied, trying to be as gentle about it as possible. She hated hurting people's feelings more than anything.

"Oh, of course. I'll see you around then," he finished, walking away in embarrassment. Brittany felt a little bad about turning him down, but she had turned down quite a few guys before. There was no one that she was attracted to in return, though the idea of Santana asking her out made her heart pound in her chest.

The more she thought about it the more she realized: she had it bad for Santana Lopez.


	4. Blurt

**Sorry for the wait. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter but it was necessary to set up the next couple of chapterswhich will be much cuter, I promise. I appreciate the amazing reviews I am getting for this story and I absolutely love hearing specifically what people like so I can give you guys what you want! Anyway, thanks again and enjoy!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters or Breadstix._

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><p>Having survived her first day of classes, Brittany assumed that her second day would be just as easy, especially since her and Santana would have Math 131 together that afternoon.<p>

First, she had English in the morning and almost as soon as the teacher walked in, Brittany had a feeling this was going to be a fun class. The professor was a tall blonde woman named Ms. Holiday who tried a little too hard to act like their buddy.

The class went smoothly enough but Ms. Holiday kept them all until the very end; not to do work, but because she lost track of time. When she finally let them go, Brittany felt confident that she would do well in that class.

She hadn't eaten breakfast and had the urge to grab something to eat before her next class, but that would be impossible though because her math class was in less than ten minutes. She would have just enough time to walk the five blocks to the math building. The thought of seeing Santana made her forget about her hunger anyway...or at least her hunger for food.

As she approached the classroom door, Brittany could see the Latina standing outside texting someone on her cell phone, looking gorgeous as usual. When she got closer Santana looked up and smiled at her, flashing her perfect white teeth.

"Hey, I was waiting for you. I wanted to make sure that we got seats together," Santana informed her, opening the door and holding it for Brittany before walking in herself.

This classroom must have been used for science classes as well as math because there were lab-like tables that seated four people; two on each side. She and Santana took a seat at a table that was empty, but a few minutes before class was about to start a guy in a wheel chair came in with an Asian, gothic-looking girl. The girl pulled out a chair and set it to the side of the classroom and the guy wheeled into the spot opposite Brittany while the girl sat in front of Santana.

They all smiled politely at one another but didn't say anything. After a few minutes a young male teacher walked in and stood in front of them. Half the class hadn't noticed him yet, but he stood there until they all fell quiet.

"Are you ready to get started now?" he asked them rudely. No one answered; they all had come to the realization that this class was going to suck big time. The professor, Mr. Ryerson, was extremely rude, but more than that, he was kind of creepy.

Everyone paid very close attention to what he was saying after that; everyone except for Brittany and Santana that is. She kept looking over at Santana who actually looked bored, which was impressive since every other word out the teacher's mouth was 'fail.'

Cheering practice had been in the morning again so Santana had her dark hair down and it was still slightly damp from her shower. She was wearing skinny jeans that accentuated her long legs and a white tank top that showed off her toned arms. Her chocolate brown eyes were starting to glaze over in boredom and her long lashes were beginning to droop.

"Oh, and if I catch you sleeping in my class you will automatically fail," Mr. Ryerson's voice cut through Brittany's thoughts. She turned to see him staring straight at Santana but she hadn't seemed to have noticed.

Not wanting the Latina to get in trouble on the first day, Brittany reached under the table and shook her leg. Santana's head whipped around to look at her and for a brief moment the blonde thought she saw something in her eyes. It could have been a trick of the light though because a second later it was gone and Santana was looking intently at the teacher.

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><p><em>She touched my leg. Holy crap, she touched my leg,<em> Santana kept thinking over and over. When Brittany's gentle hand had shook her leg, a surge of electricity had shot up her spine. It had lasted less than a second, but Santana could still feel the warmth from her fingers.

There was nothing inappropriate about the touch, but Santana's body had responded in a way that was slightly inappropriate. Brittany had only meant to get her attention and it had worked, almost too well.

Now, Santana couldn't stop stealing glances at the blonde girl. She was so beautiful in a flowy, cream colored peasant top and jean short shorts. Brittany's blonde hair fell in soft waves down her shoulders and back with her bangs pushed to the side and held in place by a small clip.

While most teachers had let them leave early with no homework, this guy gave them a three page paper due next class and kept them there until the very last minute. Santana didn't mind though because she could continue to stare at Brittany a little longer.

When he did let them go, Santana didn't notice until Brittany stood up and threw her backpack over her shoulder.

"You coming?" the blonde woman asked her with a bright smile. Santana quickly grabbed her things and stood up to follow her, not wanting to make her wait. The two of them made their way out of the building and to one of the only vacant benches outside.

"Do you have any other classes today?" Santana asked, hoping that she didn't so that way they could spend more time together. It just felt right to be around Brittany. She felt comfortable, but at the same time the blonde caused her to feel things she had never experienced which constantly kept Santana on her toes.

"Nope. Tomorrow's my busy day. I have three classes in a row," Brittany answered brightly. She seemed so light hearted, but there was something going on in her brain that Santana couldn't figure out. All she knew was that when she smiled at Santana it didn't quite seem to reach her eyes.

It was as if Brittany always put on a happy face, but in reality she was miserable. It hurt Santana to think that there might be something causing the blonde strife.

"Brittany?" she tried hesitantly. When Brittany turned to look at her, the Latina continued, "If something is bothering you...I'm here."

For a moment Santana thought she had overstepped some invisible line with the blonde since she quickly looked away, her face hidden behind the curtain of her hair. When Brittany finally met her eyes again, they were strained as if trying to tell her something that she couldn't say aloud.

"I'm...I'm not very good at math...that teacher seems really tough. If I don't do well, I'll lose my Financial Aid then I'll have to drop out," Brittany's soft voice replied after a few seconds. Santana could be pretty clueless when it came to people's feelings sometimes, but not in this case. That was not what Brittany was really worried about, but Santana wasn't about to push her.

"Hey, it's okay. Don't worry, I'll tutor you. I'm no math genius or anything, but I understand it all right," she offered, wanting to make Brittany feel better in any way she could.

"Thanks, Santana. You're really sweet," Brittany told her sincerely, placing her hand over the Latina's.

Needless to say, that simple gesture made Santana's whole week.

* * *

><p>Before Brittany knew it, Friday rolled around, ending her first week as a college freshman. She had survived and now she could look forward to an entire weekend with Kurt and Blaine.<p>

Her best friend had called her that morning to tell her that they were on their way from Ohio. Brittany had practically sprinted back from class to get ready for Kurt and Blaine to arrive.

They had decided on dinner at Breadstix for tonight and tomorrow they were going to Belle Isle, a tiny island on the river. Brittany had heard that it was within walking distance and that while there wasn't a beach, there were huge rocks to sit on. The weather was supposed to be really nice so Brittany was super excited to check it out.

Santana was sitting at her desk typing up a paper on her laptop but every once in a while she would look up and smile at her. Simple gestures like that made Brittany's heart flutter and all she could manage was a small smile in return.

Brittany prayed with all her might that Kurt could help her with this problem. Maybe he and Blaine could use their 'gaydar' to figure out what team Santana played for. If she wasn't interested in girls, or at least open to the idea, then Brittany didn't stand a chance.

As she was finishing cleaning up, her cell phone rang and she rushed to answer it.

"Britt...I just saw a man walking his cat," Kurt's voice rang in her ears and it was a welcome sound.

"I guess that means you're close by?" Brittany responded with a laugh. Santana closed her computer and made her way into the bathroom to check her makeup in the mirror. Brittany watched her from the doorway, which probably seemed a little creepy but she couldn't take her eyes off the beautiful Latina.

As Santana was smoothing down her hair, she met Brittany's eyes in the mirror and both women froze. At that moment, everything fell away. Her ice blue eyes met warm brown ones and Brittany completely forgot that she was on the phone with her best friend.

"We are indeed. Blaine managed to squeeze into the world's smallest parking spot between a Hummer and a Prius. Strange people, these Southerners," Kurt replied haughtily, but Brittany hardly heard him.

Brittany's heart hammered painfully in her chest as she searched Santana's eyes for anything. She almost wished that the Latina could read her mind at that moment, so she would know what she was feeling.

Santana was the first to look away, she walked over to where Brittany was and mouthed, "Excuse me," before gently closing the bathroom door.

"You still there, Britts?" Kurt asked and Brittany came to her senses.

"Yea, I'm here. Where are you parked? We can come down and meet you," she offered, grabbing her wallet and stuffing it in the back pocket of her jean shorts.

"What street is that, Blaine? Cary? I think we're at the corner of Harrison and Cary," he answered after a few moments of back and forth with Blaine off to the side.

"That's super close. Give us about five minutes and we'll be there," Brittany told him while searching for her keys.

"Please hurry. This city air is hell on my skin," Kurt complained and she shook her head in amusement. As she slid her phone closed Santana opened the bathroom door and seemed a little somber.

"They here?" she asked and Brittany looked at her worriedly, but nodded her head in response.

"Yea, I said we could meet them a few blocks away. Is that okay?" Brittany asked, making her way to the front door.

"Of course," the Latina beat her to the door and held it open for her once again. Brittany decided that she could get used to this. When Santana did things like this it gave her hope that maybe, just maybe, she felt something for her too.

The two women made their way out of the dorms and into the street, the blonde leading the way. Every once in a while she would glance to her side at Santana, who refused to look in her direction.

Something had changed the Latina's mood and Brittany had a suspicion that it had been their intense gaze through the mirror. In Santana's brown eyes, she had seen a complex array of emotions and only one of them she could pick out for certain: pain.

What would be causing her pain though? Brittany didn't have time to think about this because as they turned the corner she caught sight of Kurt and Blaine.

* * *

><p>This was getting completely unbearable. Santana couldn't stop thinking about Brittany's beautiful eyes.<p>

Back in the dorm, Santana had had to close the bathroom door to give her a moment to compose herself. As soon as the lock had clicked, she had pressed her forehead into the door in frustration. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried with all her might to force those blue eyes out of her mind without success.

A part of her wanted Brittany to discover her secret. Santana just couldn't go on being this close to the dancer and not being able to share her feelings. At the same time, she didn't want to scare her away; they were becoming really good friends.

As Santana was thinking this, Brittany suddenly sprinted down the sidewalk.

"Kurt!" the blonde yelled and threw herself at a young man with dark brown hair that was pushed up and out of his cherubic face. Beside him was a slightly taller guy, who had short wavy hair and a friendly smile plastered on his face.

When Brittany reached the smaller guy, she wrapped her arms around and lifted him into the air in a tight hug. Santana walked up to them and smiled politely at the other guy who reached out his hand to her.

"I'm Blaine, you must be Santana," he introduced himself and the Latina could tell immediately that he was a nice guy.

"Nice to meet you," she replied, releasing his hand. By process of elimination, Santana assumed that the guy Brittany was setting down must be Kurt.

"I missed you so much," Brittany gushed to Kurt, whom she finally released only to bring Blaine into a hug.

"It's only been a week, Britt," Blaine reminded her with a laugh. Kurt turned his attention to Santana and put a hand on his hip.

"Britt, don't be rude. Introduce me to your lovely roommate," he teasingly reprimanded the blonde.

"Kurt, this is Santana. Santana...Kurt," Brittany introduced, with a smirk. Kurt gallantly took her hand and gave her an over-dramatic bow which brought a smile to her face.

"It's a pleasure," Kurt said politely.

After that Santana got lost in the conversation, as they walked the ten blocks to Breadstix. It really wasn't that long of a walk, considering the blocks in Richmond weren't very big. At least Brittany wouldn't have to walk very far to and from work.

"The very first day of dance class and this guy asks me out," Santana snapped to attention when she heard Brittany say this to Blaine.

"Wait, what?" Santana asked, forgetting to be subtle in her need for details. A guy had asked Brittany out? What had she said? Did she like him? Could she beat him up?

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kurt and Blaine give each other a meaningful glance, but she was too concerned with the blonde's answer to pay much attention.

"Oh, yea. I felt bad for turning him down. He seemed nice," Brittany told her and she visibly relaxed.

Soon they were at the restaurant and Santana gave the hostess her name. She said the wait for a table would be fifteen to twenty minutes, but it almost never took that long at Breadstix.

Of course, there were only two seats left in the waiting area and Blaine looked at her expectantly.

"Ladies," he offered the two seats, but Santana held up a hand to refuse.

"You can have the seat, Britt," she said, standing to the side to let the blonde pass her. Brittany thanked her with her eyes and took one of the seats. Not waiting for an invitation, Kurt took the seat next to her, smiling happily at Blaine. It was easy to see that the two of them were having some private joke.

While they were waiting around, Santana took the opportunity to stare at Brittany. The blonde girl was wearing tight jeans and a cute, baby blue blouse which brought out her eyes. Her long blonde hair had been straightened for the occasion and her bangs were pulled back, held in place by two bobby pins.

She was so beautiful. Santana wanted nothing more than to be able to tell her that. Brittany looked so happy talking amiably with Kurt and laughing at some joke he had made.

Santana was brought back to reality when the hostess called her name. Brittany and Kurt stood up and they all followed her to a booth. Santana sat next to Blaine and opposite Brittany who sat with Kurt.

Overall the meal went really well. The food had been really good and Santana actually had a lot of fun with all of them. She hadn't expected to get along with Kurt and Blaine since she rarely liked anyone, but something made her not want to be bitchy to them. Now that they were all done eating, they just kind of sat and told embarrassing stories about each other. Luckily, they didn't have any dirt on her yet; or so she thought.

"So, Santana...what's this I hear about you being a singer?" Kurt asked her, feigning innocence. Santana went momentarily into a panic; she couldn't remember telling anyone she was a singer. She hadn't even told Brittany about her being in glee club in high school.

"And who told you that?" Santana asked, plotting murder as she spoke. Whoever told him was going to regret it. The Latina could feel the blush creeping into her cheeks and she tried to hide it from Brittany as best she could. She hadn't meant for the blonde to ever find out about any of this.

"Wellll, Brittany told me that you lived in Lima Heights, so I did some digging and found out where you went to high school," Kurt looked pretty proud of himself, but Santana's heart plummeted into her stomach. All she could think was, '_Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit_, over and over.

She pleaded to him with her eyes; begging him to not tell Brittany her secret. Santana had planned on telling Brittany eventually, but not now. His eyes met hers and for some reason she knew he wouldn't say anything.

"Oooo, this is good. What'd you find out?" Brittany asked, intrigued and looking from Kurt to Santana.

"Oh, just that a certain Ms. Santana Lopez was a member of glee club," Kurt revealed and Santana breathed a sigh of relief. She gave him a grateful smile and he gave her a subtle nod.

"Really? I didn't know that. Will you sing for me some time?" Brittany asked her sweetly. Santana almost choked on her water, but she covered it with a well-placed cough. Kurt looked like Christmas had come early he was so thrilled.

"Sure...," she answered hesitantly and looked around at the boys for assistance. Blaine quickly came to her rescue.

"You don't need to be embarrassed, Santana. I was a member of the Dalton Academy Warblers and Kurt has no room to talk. These two were in New Directions, the glee club at McKinley High," he informed her with a smile. All of this talk of high school was making her mildly uncomfortable, so Santana discretely tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.

* * *

><p>Brittany wasn't an idiot even though she acted like it sometimes. She knew something was going on with Santana; as if she was trying to hide something about her past. Kurt seemed to know, but he had apparently decided to keep his mouth shut.<p>

If Santana wasn't ready to talk about it then Brittany wasn't going to pry. After all, they had only known each other for a week and she totally understood if the Latina didn't want to divulge her deepest secrets to her. If, or when, she was ever ready to tell her Brittany would be there to listen.

She didn't have the slightest hint that Santana could sing much less she was good enough to be in a glee club. When she had been in New Directions she didn't do much singing; mostly just dancing. Brittany was really excited to hear Santana sing one day.

After a while, the waiter brought the check and Blaine looked at it with a frown.

"He didn't split it," he said, and as he was hailing the waiter back over Brittany saw Santana take the check from him.

"It's okay. I can get it," she told them, and all eyes whipped to her as she slipped a card in the folder. Kurt's eyebrows were high on his forehead as he let his eyes slide over to hers and his slips curled into a smile.

"Are you sure, Santana? We can just get him to split it," Blaine tried futilely and the Latina merely waved him away. Brittany had a sneaking suspicion that the card she used belonged to her doctor dad.

"It's no problem," she assured, handing the check to the waiter when he came by again. Brittany stared at Santana wished she could know her better. There seemed to be so much the Latina was hiding, but Brittany wasn't concerned about that. She just wanted to ease her mind, but they hardly knew each other.

Aside from the fact that Brittany was extremely attracted to the Latina at this point, she was also beginning to feel something else for her. Brittany cared about Santana.

Blaine insisted on leaving the tip, so once the waiter brought back Santana's card they left Breadstix. As they walked Brittany smiled when Blaine took Kurt's hand in his while they walked. She was so glad that they were happy; they were such a cute couple. Yet, seeing them so happy together made her slightly jealous. She hoped that any relationship she was in was half as good as theirs.

Once they were back at Kurt's Escalade it was actually kind of late since they had spent so much time at the restaurant.

"I can't believe it's still here!" Kurt exclaimed dramatically and rushing over to his precious car.

"Me too. Why would you drive an Escalade to a city? How'd you park that thing?" Brittany teased, shaking her head at him.

"I let Blaine drive. Don't be so judgey," he said indignantly, turning to her.

"Right... you guys heading to the hotel?" Brittany asked to Blaine, who seemed to be the only sane one of the two at the moment.

"I think so. Want us to meet you here again tomorrow?" he said, eyeing Kurt who was now checking to make sure all of his chrome was still there.

"That sounds good. See you tomorrow," Brittany brought him into a hug and then Kurt, who took the opportunity to whisper in her ear.

"Super gay and super into you," he said before pulling away and Brittany quickly looked over at Santana to make sure she hadn't heard. The Latina was standing off to the side and seemed distracted by something.

The idea that she might actually have a shot with Santana caused her heart to almost beat out of her chest. Apparently, feeling eyes on her, the Latina looked up and jumped a little at being stared at, but smiled at them nonetheless.

"Nice to meet you, Santana. We'll be seeing you tomorrow, I hope?" Kurt asked, releasing Brittany and making his way over to the driver's side of the car.

"Definitely," she answered and waved good bye to the both of them as they drove away.

* * *

><p>Santana and Brittany made their way back into their dorm room together and began to get ready for bed. The Latina watched as Brittany pulled the bobby pins out of her hair and ran her fingers through it. Sleeping this close to her was starting to feel like torture. There were so many things she wanted to tell Brittany. She wanted to tell her everything about herself, but she was afraid that instead of bringing the blonde closer to her it would push her away.<p>

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice that Brittany had gone in the bathroom and changed into her pajamas. Brittany was about to climb up to the top bunk but something snapped in Santana.

"Brittany, I need to tell you something," she blurted, surprising even herself. Slowly, Santana raised her eyes to Brittany's and saw that she was listening.

"I...don't think you'll want to be my roommate when I tell you though," she admitted, sinking onto the floor of the dorm. Brittany came over to her and sat cross-legged in front of her, giving the Latina her full attention.

"I doubt that," Brittany whispered, her intense blue eyes burning into Santana so that she had to look away.

"Do you know where I went to high school?" Santana whispered, she had to get this out before she lost her nerve. If she couldn't tell her this secret how could she tell her any of the others?

"No...," Brittany said slowly, as if wondering where this was going. Then it seemed like lights were starting to come on in her brain as understanding began to shine in her eyes.

"I went to Jane Addams Academy," Santana breathed, searching Brittany's eyes to gauge her reaction. It was pretty well known in Lima that Jane Addams Academy was a school for female juvenile delinquents.

The blonde's face was blank and Santana couldn't read her thoughts. After a moment of awkward silence, Brittany slid beside her and snaked an arm around her waist.

"You're not a bad person," the blonde said confidently. Santana had not been expecting that. She had thought Brittany wouldn't want to live with someone who was basically a criminal.

"Don't you want to know what I did?" Santana asked incredulously giving her a sideways glance. Brittany gave her a comforting smile and used her other hand to lace their fingers together.

"It doesn't matter. Whatever you did was in the past. You don't have to tell me anything," she told her, shrugging her shoulders.

Santana was having a hard time focusing on the conversation with Brittany holding her like this. It made her feel so close to the blonde and it gave her the courage to tell her secret, or at least one of her secrets.

"You deserve to know since you'll be living with me," she began, taking a deep breath before she continued.

"When I was younger I got tangled up in the wrong crowd of people. I became quite a bitch. I just felt so angry and I had no idea why so I took it out on other people. One day I beat the shit out of a girl who hit on my boyfriend at the time. I didn't even like him but I was afraid my reputation would be hurt if I didn't do it. She was in the hospital for weeks," Santana revealed, not meeting the blue eyes she knew were staring at her unflinchingly.

"Did you ever find out what made you so angry all the time?" Brittany asked quietly, squeezing her hand in an attempt to ease her mind.

"I was pretending to be someone I wasn't," Santana replied vaguely, not quite ready to reveal that particular secret yet.

"Santana...you're not that person anymore. College is the perfect opportunity for a fresh start," Brittany told her simply as she stood up and pulled the Latina up with her.

They were standing so close that Santana could feel Brittany's warm breath on her cheek. It was extremely distracting and all she wanted to do was kiss her right then.

That thought snapped her brain back to reality and she practically jumped back from the blonde, taking her hand back quickly.

"Thanks. Anyway, I'm a little tired. I think I'm gonna go to bed. Good night," Santana sputtered once she was a safe distance from Brittany's lips.

She didn't seemed to have noticed any of the things that had just gone through Santana's head, but she tilted her head at the Latina. Santana had already grabbed her pajamas and was halfway to the bathroom door when Brittany spoke.

"Thanks for trusting me with your secret, Santana. I'm honored," Brittany said softly to the Latina's back, causing her to stop in her tracks.

Santana had no idea how to respond. More than anything, she wanted to tell Brittany everything, but she just couldn't; not yet. Instead, she just got ready for bed and spent another night dreaming about the blonde dancer in the bunk above her.


	5. A Day at the River

**Holy crap! Over 100 reviews already? And for only 4 chapters? You all are amazing. I absolutely love hearing your thoughts on my story! Your input is incredibly helpful and I appreciate it immensely. Next chapter...Brittany reveals a little about herself and Santana takes Kurt's advice. **

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters or Starbucks._

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><p>For once, Brittany actually woke up before Santana, so she climbed down from her bunk as quietly as possible to not wake her. Once she was at the bottom she grabbed her bathing suit and headed into the bathroom to change.<p>

She half expected Santana to be awake when she walked back into the room, but the Latina hadn't moved from her spot. Brittany paused on her way to throw her pajamas back on her bed to stare at the sleeping woman.

Santana was sleeping on her stomach with her arms squeezing the pillow underneath her head. Everything about the Latina made her absolutely gorgeous. Despite the fact that her entire body was extremely toned from years of cheering, her face seemed so soft and delicate. She had incredibly high cheek bones that gave her a classic appearance, like women in old black and white movies. Her dark lashes stood out against her olive skin and framed her brown eyes when they were open. Brittany's eyes trailed down to her lips and reveled in how full they were; perfect for...

Santana shifted in her sleep a little and a stray wisp of hair fell across her face blocking Brittany's view of her beautiful face. Without really thinking, the blonde made her way over to her and reached out a hand to move the guilty lock. As she pushed the hair behind the curve of her ear, Brittany hesitated a moment.

The Latina's skin was so smooth and soft that Brittany had no desire to remove her hand. Forgetting herself, Brittany gently let the very tips of her fingers travel over Santana's cheek.

Santana's eyes slid open slowly and stared straight into Brittany's causing her to withdraw her hand quickly in embarrassment.

"You had a spider on you," Brittany dead panned and mentally smacked herself for such an idiotic cover and immediately regretted it when she witnessed the Latina's reaction.

"What? Did you get it? Where is it?" she screamed, practically flying off of her bed and jumping up onto her desk chair. Brittany felt terrible for scaring her like this but she couldn't stop herself from noticing the way her tank top rode up in her distress revealing her lower abs.

"Yea, it's gone," she lied, but Santana wouldn't take her eyes off of the bed she had just vacated. After the guilt of her deception wore off, Brittany found the humor in the situation and a bemused smile graced her face.

"I thought you girls from Lima Heights were supposed to be tough," she commented sarcastically, raising her eyebrows at the Latina before turning to toss her pajamas on her bunk.

"We are. I just don't do spiders, that's all," Santana answered a little defensively.

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for them to get all of their things together and by the time they were ready Kurt and Blaine were parked outside. They eventually decided that the best thing to do would probably be to drive there since they would all be too tired to make the walk back after a day at the river.<p>

They all piled in the back of Kurt's Escalade with Blaine at the wheel and Kurt beside him in the passenger seat. Santana and Brittany sat in the back and attempted to navigate them there.

Once they finally found the small parking lot, they all hopped out and followed Brittany's directions over a bridge and alongside the river until they came to the huge rocks that people around here always talked about.

There were already a dozen or so people lying on the rocks or in water, but there was still plenty of room for them.

"Is this one okay?" Brittany asked once they had come up to a particularly large boulder.

"This looks perfect," Blaine replied being the sweetheart he was. Kurt smiled happily at him and laid out a large towel for them all to sit on. Santana had to admit that it was really nice just relaxing with these guys.

Out of the corner of her eye Santana saw Brittany lift her shirt over her head and pull off her shorts, exposing the little black bikini underneath. The Latina's eyes were immediately drawn to Brittany's exposed skin.

While in their dorm Brittany seemed to be a little shy and refused to change around Santana. At first she thought that was because the blonde knew she was a lesbian, but as time went on she just learned that Brittany was a little shy when it came to her body.

Brittany pulled out her sun screen and began lathering over her exposed skin as Blaine pulled off his shirt and began doing the same thing. He was in pretty good shape but not nearly as good as the blonde. All of that dancing had given her a perfectly flat stomach, not to mention there wasn't an ounce of fat on her entire body. Santana had a particularly hard time distracting herself from staring at Brittany's long, smooth legs.

"Could you get my back, San? I can't quite reach and I burn easily," Brittany asked, drawing Santana out of her reverie. Clear blue eyes stared expectantly at the Latina and all she could do was nod silently.

As she put the cold lotion onto her hand, Santana looked to her side and saw Kurt holding a hand to his mouth to prevent himself from laughing. Why did he think this was funny? Deciding not to think about it too much, she gently spread the sun screen over the blonde's back. The feeling of her soft, warm skin sliding underneath her fingers was almost too much, but she did it, taking deep, calming breaths in the process.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to get in the water," Brittany announced when Santana had finished, and sat down on the edge of the rock with her feet in the water. Using her arms, she gently eased herself into the river and apparently found the bottom because when she straightened up the water came to her mid-chest.

"Ooh, it's the perfect temperature. You should come in," Brittany told them, and maybe Santana's eyes were deceiving her but it looked like the blonde was directing most of her attention at her.

"Do you even know what's in that water? This river runs through a city. All kinds of radioactive toxic sludge could be in there," Kurt replied with a disgusted look on his face.

"Why did you want to come here then?" Brittany asked him exasperatedly. Personally, Santana thought he had a point.

"I need a tan. I look so pasty standing next to Blaine," he explained, pulling out some sun tan lotion. The other dark haired man shook his head slowly with a smile on his face and took the bottle from him.

Santana figured it was her turn. She wasn't really insecure about her looks, she knew that she was fit, but for some reason she was a little self-conscious around Brittany.

The Latina gripped the hem of her shirt, slowly lifting it up and over her head. Setting her shirt beside her on the rock, she then unbuttoned her cut off jeans and slipped them off.

"I hate you both. There is no way I'm taking off my shirt now," Kurt complained sarcastically while folding his arms over his chest. Feeling exposed, Santana quickly hopped into the water beside Brittany, feeling the rocky bottom of the river on her feet.

The water really was a perfect temperature and it was refreshing after living in Ohio for so long with its perpetually cold rivers. Santana chanced a glance at Brittany who was smiling at her happily and then looked over at Kurt.

"Not everyone can be as ab-tastic as us, right Santana?" as she said this, Brittany threw an arm around the Latina's shoulder and for a moment, Santana forgot about her nervousness. She relaxed into the blonde's touch and even snaked her arm around Brittany's narrow waist under the water.

The blonde froze at her touch and for a second Santana thought she had gone too far. Though a moment later Brittany relaxed and gave her the biggest grin she had ever seen.

"I know how Brittany got her six pack, but I want to know what you did Miss Santana?" Kurt asked, eventually lifting off his shirt. He really had nothing to be ashamed of either. He, like Blaine, was lean, but it was hard to compete with the two athletic ladies.

As Blaine spread sun tan lotion on Kurt, Santana considered her answer before speaking.

"If you looked up my high school, then I'm sure you know I'm a cheerleader," she replied, releasing Brittany before it became awkward and perceived as anything more than friendly.

"Oh, please. I used to be on the cheering squad at McKinley. You have to be doing something else to be as fit as that," Kurt teased, giving in and slipping into the water as well. Blaine quickly followed and relaxed next to his boyfriend in the water.

"I run at least a mile every day. Nothing too extreme," Santana shrugged modestly. Brittany dunked under the water and when she came back up she pushed her wet hair out of her face.

Santana was temporarily distracted by the water dripping down from Brittany's hair and the way her skin glistened with hundreds of tiny water droplets. Around her the other three were laughing and having a conversation, but Santana couldn't hear a thing they were saying. The closer she got to Brittany the more she wanted to tell her how she felt.

So engrossed in watching the blonde was Santana that she didn't notice Kurt talking to her. She only noticed when he tapped her on the shoulder and looked at her amusedly.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Santana guiltily asked, tearing her eyes away from Brittany to look at the man beside her.

"I just wanted to know if you'd like to take a walk with me," Kurt asked with a sympathetic smile, as if he knew something she didn't.

"Sure," she wasn't really sure what he wanted, but he was Brittany's friend and he probably had his reasons. She gave Brittany and Blaine a look before stepping out of the water and wrapping a towel around her waist. She and Kurt slipped on their flip flops and made their way back onto the shore.

* * *

><p>Brittany thought it a little odd that Kurt would want to take a walk with Santana, but she decided not to question it too much.<p>

"So, how is it living with someone so ab-tacular?" Blaine teased her with his usual charming smile.

"Wonderful. Not that you would understand," she joked back and Blaine gave her a mock offended look.

"You seemed to be getting along really well," Blaine observed seriously after a moment and Brittany could see where he was taking this conversation.

"Blaine, I know what you are going to say and you're right," she told him, seeing the surprise on his face, she decided to continue.

"I have a major crush on her and I should be honest with her about it. I don't want to make things awkward but at the same time, not saying anything is making things awkward. At least for me. I don't know how she feels," Brittany revealed in a rush, taking a much needed breath when she was finished.

"If you ask me...I think she feels the same way about you," Blaine told her slowly, choosing his words carefully. Brittany looked up at him and nodded before lowering her eyes again.

"I really, _really_ like her, Blaine...We were at a party last weekend and there was this one drunk guy...He was all over me and wouldn't take a hint. Santana stood up for me. No one's ever done that for me before," Brittany said, remembering how the Latina had come to her aid.

Blaine put an arm around her shoulders and brought her in a tight one-armed hug, which she returned gratefully.

"Santana obviously cares about you, Britt. I think you should take the leap," Blaine advised, squeezing her a little tighter to his side.

Not trusting her voice, Brittany merely nodded as he released her. She stepped out of the water and back onto the rock, lying out on her towel. Blaine followed her a moment later and smiled at someone behind Brittany.

She turned to see Kurt and Santana making their way back over, and she couldn't help but wonder what they had talked about.

* * *

><p>For the most part, Santana and Kurt walked in silence. Every once in a while Santana would look to her side at him, but he remained quiet until he suddenly stopped in a secluded place.<p>

"You're too obvious, Santana," Kurt told her matter-of-factly, giving her a small smile. The Latina's heart sunk. He knew. Of course he knew. How could he not?

"You're not going to tell Brittany are you?" Santana asked quietly, refusing to meet Kurt's eyes. His hand reached out and touched her arm comfortingly, almost forcing her to look up at him.

"Of course not. I wouldn't do that...but I think you should," he told her gently, releasing her arm.

"I...I can't...not yet anyway," Santana admitted, forcing herself to look up into his serious dark eyes.

"I understand. Even if you can't tell her that you have feelings for her, you should at least come out to her. She won't judge you," Kurt assured her and gave her an encouraging smile.

Santana searched his eyes. How could he be so perceptive? He not only knew that she was a lesbian but that she had a crush on Brittany too. Damn, she must be _really_ obvious.

"Is she...?" Santana tried, but Kurt just laughed and shook his head.

"She's never been in a serious relationship with anyone," was all he revealed, giving Santana a little hope.

"Just do me a favor," Kurt continued, turning back toward where Blaine and Brittany were swimming. Santana looked over at him and met his eyes to let him know she was listening.

"Whatever you choose to do...I know its cliché, but please don't hurt her. She's been through enough pain in her life already," the dark haired man beside her said solemnly.

A million questions rose to Santana's mind, but she knew that it wasn't appropriate to ask Kurt or even Brittany for that matter. The blonde would tell her when she was ready. Santana would be just as respectful as Brittany was to her when she revealed about her past at Jane Addams.

"I won't," Santana promised drawing her attention back to the blonde stepping out of the water. She wanted to know everything about Brittany. What had happened to her to cause her pain?

Kurt led them back to Blaine and Brittany on the rock. They spent the rest of the afternoon lying out on the rocks talking and laughing, while every once in a while jumping in the water to cool down.

Santana felt a certain understanding with Kurt after that and she felt like in that one day she could trust him.

* * *

><p>They all slowly made their way back to the car and drove to Santana and Brittany's dorm in a comfortable silence. The day at the river had felt lazy but it had still sapped them of most of their energy.<p>

"You're not driving back tonight, are you?" Brittany asked Blaine, who had just pulled up the Escalade in front of the dorms.

"No, we were planning on staying one more night and leaving tomorrow morning," he answered her, reaching over to the passenger's side to push Kurt's hair out of his face.

"Good idea. Want to get some breakfast with us before you go?" Brittany offered, and Kurt turned to look at her with a smile.

"Only if by 'breakfast' you mean 'Starbucks'," he teased lightly and she could see the tiredness in his eyes.

"Sure, see you two tomorrow morning then," Brittany replied, sliding out of the car with Santana and waving goodbye to the boys as they drove away.

* * *

><p>The next morning they all got together at the nearest Starbucks and got some coffee before saying their farewells to each other.<p>

"Drive safe, okay?" Brittany told Blaine, bringing him into a tight hug. Santana watched from her position on the curb. It was easy to tell that these three people really cared about one another. Ohio wasn't exactly nearby, so it must be hard for the blonde to be away from her best friends. Santana didn't have too many friends back in Lima Heights, so the only person she really, truly missed was her mom.

"Don't worry. He will. I'll even text you when we get back," Kurt answered her pulling the tall, blonde into a hug as well. When they stepped away from each other, Kurt looked at Santana expectantly.

"You didn't think you were getting away that easy, did you?" he told her, walking forward and wrapping his arms around her waist. Smiling to herself, Santana reached her arms around his neck and returned the friendly embrace. After accepting a hug from Blaine as well, the two men said their goodbyes and slid into Kurt's Escalade before pulling out of the parking lot.

Santana couldn't help thinking that she would have at least two people she would miss back in Ohio.


	6. Unwelcome Visitor

**Wow! Thanks for all the amazing reviews! I'm sorry for the wait but things have been crazy. Don't worry, I won't be abandoning this story. Things are going to get really intense the next couple of chapters. Intense in a good way! I hope you continue to read and let me know how you feel!**

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

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><p>"I might as well go home now," Brittany sighed in frustration, pushing away her math homework and pressing her fist hard into her forehead.<p>

Santana gazed at her sympathetically and slid the paper closer to herself so she could see the problems. The last few weeks had been particularly stressful on the blonde. The math teacher hadn't gotten any nicer and the work hadn't gotten any easier. Their first exam was coming up and Brittany was starting to freak out.

"Hey, it's not that bad. Let me help. Which steps do you not get?" Santana asked her gently, scooting closer to her so they could look at the problems together. They were in their dorm room crammed together at Brittany's desk trying to do extra practice from the book.

"All of them," Brittany whispered but the Latina heard her and frowned. This was really bothering the blonde woman. Math 131 was just supposed to be a class that reviewed everything you learned in high school before you moved on to Statistics, but this teacher wasn't really explaining anything.

Santana rested her left arm casually on the back of Brittany's chair and got even closer to her. Picking up the pencil, she wrote one of the problems from the book on a sheet of paper. It was a relatively simple problem but Santana had a sneaking suspicion that no teacher had ever taken the time to explain the steps to the other girl.

"Here, do you know what the first step is?" she asked, holding out the pencil to Brittany, who looked at it for a moment and then took it slowly.

"I know that I have to subtract the two numbers in the parentheses and that's it," Brittany replied, narrowing her eyes at the piece of paper.

Santana smiled to herself. Basic problems were easy for her, but she knew when they got around to fractions and percentages she would be just as bad off as Brittany. For now, she could actually help the dancer with this stuff.

"That's right. There's an 'order of operations.' Things in parentheses always come first. Exponents come next. Multiplication, Division, Addition, then Subtraction," Santana explained and Brittany looked at her disbelievingly.

"And how exactly am I supposed to remember all of that?" she asked skeptically. The Latina was temporarily distracted by the scent of her hair and almost didn't catch what she said. Maybe sitting so close was a bad idea. Coming to her senses, Santana pulled herself together to explain.

"Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction...PEMDAS," Santana tried but blue eyes still stared at her blankly.

"How about 'Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sara.' That's how I learned it," The Latina was really making an effort to help Brittany, but she wasn't a very good teacher.

"_Amigo_ is Spanish for 'friend,' right?" Brittany asked and Santana was extremely confused. Did they just switch classes without her noticing? She really had to stop thinking about Brittany's hair.

"...The masculine form, yes...," Santana said slowly, trying to see where this was going.

"What's the feminine form?" Brittany persisted, her eyes staring into the Latina's.

"_Amiga_. Why?" at this point Santana was really interested at what Brittany was trying to get at.

"Please Excuse My Dear Amiga Santana. Now that's something I'll remember," Brittany said, flashing the Latina a proud smile and Santana couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of her.

"You're such a dork," she teased, taking the pencil from Brittany and poking her in the arm with it. Then the blonde did something Santana did not expect: she laid her head on Santana's shoulder.

For a moment, the Latina had no idea what to do, so she froze in place like a deer in headlights. Blonde hair tickled her neck but she wasn't complaining. She didn't dare move in case Brittany decided remove her head from her shoulder.

"I know, but that's why you love me, right?" Brittany joked and didn't seem to notice the effect these words had on the other woman.

Santana's eyes practically bulged out of her head and she sat up straight, causing Brittany to lift her head and look up in concern. The dark haired woman was fairly certain she hadn't misheard Brittany. She had definitely said, 'love.'

Did Brittany know? Why did she say that? The scariest part was that Santana had felt a twinge of pleasure when Brittany said it. She wasn't sure if she loved Brittany but she sure as hell had some pretty intense feelings for her.

"Anyway, that's how I'm going to remember it," Brittany continued and it took a moment for Santana to realize they were back to talking about math again.

"All right then show me," Santana challenged, collecting her thoughts and pushing her feelings to the side to help the blonde.

Brittany nodded and began to work out the problem. When she finished she shyly showed it to the Latina who smiled happily.

"You got it!" she exclaimed, forgetting her emotional turmoil for a moment she brought Brittany into a congratulatory hug which the blonde returned instantly.

That small gesture meant so much to the Latina. The feeling of the blonde's arms wrapping around her to return the hug was amazing. Santana thought that she would feel awkward, but that wasn't the case at all. For some reason, Brittany's arms around her felt so natural and she never wanted to leave.

Santana came to the realization then that she had to tell her, and soon.

* * *

><p>Test day came and went and Brittany felt like she did pretty good. She hadn't been the last one to finish but she definitely wasn't the first either. Santana's tutoring sessions had really helped her and it had been actually a lot of fun even if they were just studying.<p>

The professor had told them that he would have their scores during class today, so Brittany was really nervous to see what she got. All of her other classes were surprisingly easy still even though they were almost a month into the semester at this point. This was the only grade she was worried about.

After her English class Brittany practically ran to Math, getting there in five minutes flat. Santana was in her usual spot, leaning against the wall next to the classroom door, though today she had something in her hand.

"You're early," Santana commented, straightening up once she noticed Brittany a few feet away.

"I really want to know my exam score. What's that?" the blonde asked gesturing to the object in Santana's hand; it kind of looked like a candy bar from here.

"Oh, it's for you. It's a protein bar. You said that you didn't have time for lunch in between classes, so I thought you might be hungry," Santana spoke quickly, handing over the bar to the blonde who took it gratefully.

"Aw! That was so thoughtful. Thanks," Brittany gave the Latina a wide smile and ripped open the wrapper on the bar. It was actually really delicious and she couldn't believe Santana had been so considerate of her.

Santana was such a nice person. Brittany couldn't believe that she had been lucky enough to get a roommate like her. Not to mention that she was extremely gorgeous.

Pushing these thoughts from her mind, Brittany thanked Santana again and followed her into the classroom to their usual seats. A few classes ago, the guy in the wheelchair and the gothic looking girl had introduced themselves as Artie and Tina and they greeted them as they say down.

Everyone in the room was nervous, watching the door like hawks, waiting for the professor to come in. After a few minutes he walked in and set down the folder with all of the exams in it. However, their hopes were soon dashed.

"Settle down. I'll hand back your exams at the end of class," the professor told them in his condescending manner to a collective sigh from the class.

It was just cruel to set them there where everyone could see them, but not to hand them out. Brittany understood that he didn't want people to be distracted by them during class but that was just plain mean.

* * *

><p>Santana was slipping again. It was just too hard to focus on this professor's droning monotone. Even the fact that the exams were sitting on his desk didn't keep her attention. Lucky for her, just as she felt herself falling to sleep, Brittany shook her awake and pointed to everyone else. They were all rushing to the desk to get their exams. The class must be over.<p>

After a few minutes of shuffling around, Santana found her test and then made her way out of the melee. Looking around she could no longer see Brittany, so she made her way out of the class to see the blonde in the hall staring at her test.

Approaching the blonde slowly, Santana was scared to ask her what she had gotten on her test. Her expression was hard to read from this distance and the Latina didn't want to upset Brittany.

The blonde looked up at Santana and her face broke into a wide grin.

"I got a B!" Brittany yelled, throwing her arms around Santana and lifting her off the ground right in the middle of the hall.

Santana didn't have time to respond because the blonde swung her around in her happiness. Beginning to get a little dizzy, Santana was thankful when Brittany set her down on the ground and even more grateful when the blonde didn't let go of her immediately.

Brittany's arm remained draped loosely over Santana's shoulder and she held her exam so the Latina could see it. Sure enough, Brittany had gotten a solid 'B.'

"That's awesome, Britt! And you were worried," Santana teased gently and Brittany released her, smiling broadly.

"What did you get?" the blonde asked her, looking at the Latina's paper with interest.

"A minus. Better than I thought I would do," Santana replied, glancing down at her exam momentarily then they both began to walk back to the dorms slowly.

"You weren't supposed to be better than me, jerk," Brittany joked, giving the Latina a playful shove as they walked down the hall and out the door.

For the rest of the walk back they teased each other back and forth. If Santana didn't know any better she would swear that Brittany was flirting with her. It was probably just wishful thinking though, so she ignored the thought.

They were both climbing the stairs to the dorm when Brittany stopped short in front of her. Santana managed to stop herself before she ran into the blonde woman, but she had no idea why she stopped so quickly. Standing on her tiptoes, Santana peaked over Brittany's shoulder to see someone standing in front their door.

"What are you doing here?" Brittany hissed at the person, causing him to turn in their direction.

"Brittany?" his soft voice betrayed his disbelief. Santana watched Brittany's face carefully to try and read the emotions, but it wasn't hard to see the anger there.

"I've got nothing to say to you," Brittany spat, turning on her heel and walking quickly right back down the stairs. Santana wanted nothing more than to follow her but at that moment the man tried to chase after Brittany.

"I don't know who you are, but she obviously doesn't want anything to do with you," the Latina told him aggressively, blocking his path with her body.

"I'm her father," he said, not making an attempt to get around Santana. She should have recognized from the start that they were related. This man was tall and had blonde hair with electric blue eyes in the exact same shade as Brittany's.

"I don't care who you are. She doesn't want to see you right now," Santana spoke slowly so he would understand every word coming out of her mouth. There was obviously some bad blood between these two and she wasn't going to let him near Brittany until she got the whole story. There had to be a good reason she didn't want to see him.

Santana could tell that the tall blonde man expected something like this as he hung his head in disappointment, but when he looked up he gave her a small smile.

"I'm glad Brittany has someone like you looking out for her. Can you at least give her this?" he asked, handing the Latina a folded piece of notebook paper that looked as if it had been in his pocket a very long time.

She held it between her fingers and just looked down at it for a moment, considering whether she should give it to Brittany or not. Eventually she realized it wasn't her place to keep something like this from her.

Satisfied that Santana would give the note to his daughter, the man gave her a small nod before turning and walking away.

* * *

><p>Brittany had no idea where she was going and she didn't really care. All she wanted to do was to put as much space between herself and her father. When she had seen him in front of her dorm room she couldn't believe her eyes. To say she was shocked was an understatement. She hadn't seen this man in over thirteen years and he thought he could just show up out of the blue and everything would be okay?<p>

After having passed all of the places she knew, Brittany was now in a part of Richmond she didn't recognize but she was beyond caring at this point. Anger seared through her veins and her mind raced with the image of her father.

He looked just as she remembered him except for a few more gray hairs on his head. She had almost forgotten how incredibly similar they both looked. With this thought she tried in vain to shove him from her mind.

He had done this. She had no reason to stay and hear what he had to say. He didn't deserve a chance to explain.

She had walked for what seemed like hours but she didn't even bother to check her phone to see what time it was. A few times it had buzzed in her pocket but she didn't want to talk to anyone, so without looking at it she turned it off.

The sun had set behind the tall buildings and the street lights were beginning to come on. As Brittany was passing an apartment building with a raging party going on inside someone called her name. She was half-inclined to ignore it but the person put a hand on her shoulder so she looked up to see who it was.

Mercedes gazed worriedly into her eyes before telling her friends that she would catch up to them later.

"Are you okay?" she asked the blonde gently, not removing her hand from her shoulder. Brittany just looked up into her dark eyes blankly and nodded almost mechanically before walking away down the street.

Her thoughts continued to swirl around in her head. She felt guilty for leaving Santana there with her father. As angry as she had been she still had looked back to see how the Latina kept her father from following her. For that, Brittany was eternally grateful to her.

Deciding to turn around and head back, Brittany came upon that same apartment with the raging party. She considered it for a moment and then made her way inside.

It was really a whole floor of the building that was having the party and no one noticed her slip in and grab a beer. Honestly, she didn't really like the bitter flavor of alcohol or the way it burned going down her throat. What she did like was the slow feeling of numbness that crept over her as she kept drinking. After a while she couldn't even taste it and it became a lot easier for her drink more until she forgot all about her father and everything else.

* * *

><p>Checking her phone for the hundredth time, Santana cursed at the lack of new messages. After tearing through the nearby streets to find Brittany and numerous unanswered phone calls, Santana was officially well beyond worried about the blonde. What if something had happened to her? She had obviously been upset and in a vulnerable position. Anyone could take advantage of her in her current state of mind.<p>

Feeling hopeless, Santana made her way back to the dorm in hopes that Brittany had already come back, but as she opened the door she realized that wasn't the case. She flopped down on her bunk and covered her face with her hands. A headache was developing between her eyes and she was angry with herself for not following Brittany in the first place.

A soft knock came from the door that connected the two dorms and Santana almost didn't answer it. She got up anyway and opened it only to see Mercedes on the other side.

"Hey, sorry to bother you. I heard you come in and... well, I saw Brittany down on 7th Street near Broad. She didn't look good. I thought you would want to know," she told Santana playing with her hands nervously. It was easy to see that the girl was concerned for Brittany as well.

Santana could hardly believe her ears. Giving Mercedes a quick but sincere 'thank you' she grabbed her cell phone and keys and ran out the door.

She didn't have a car on campus and she didn't have a bus pass but that wasn't going to keep Santana from getting to Brittany at 7th and Broad which was miles and miles away.

Probably looking insane to the people around her, Santana ran the whole way. By the time she got there she was pouring sweat and had no idea where to start looking. Her intuition was that Brittany probably was upset and wanted to get drunk. That's what Santana used to do to forget about things.

Jogging around the nearby area, she remembered passing a loud party a few blocks back, so she turned and sprinted there. Once she was there she took the steps two at a time until she came to floor of this apartment building where the party was.

It didn't take long for Santana to find her. She just followed the loudest cheers of the drunken college students into one of the apartments at the end of the hall.

There, standing on a kitchen table, was an extremely intoxicated Brittany in nothing but a bra and her jeans. Santana stopped in her tracks and just stared for a moment in disbelief. All around her drunken people were yelling at her to take her bra off and for one sick moment Santana thought the same thing. It only lasted a second but she felt completely disgusted with herself afterwards.

Brittany was swaying, trying to keep her balance as she began to slide her bra straps off her pale shoulders. Santana quickly cut through the crowd, shoving a bunch of large guys out of her way and grabbed the blonde's hand to stop her.

"Britt, come on. Let me take you home," Santana begged her, trying to get her to see through the haze of drunkenness. Brittany met her eyes and smiled down at the Latina.

"Santyana?" Brittany slurred, and willingly let the dark haired woman carefully help her down from the table. Santana was thankful she always wore tank tops under her button up shirt because she couldn't find Brittany's. Without thinking, she unbuttoned her plaid shirt and threw it over the blonde. She stumbled into Santana and rested her head on the woman's shoulder while she buttoned it back up on her.

The Latina patiently wrapped an arm around the blonde and led her out of the apartment building to loud 'boo's' from the men who had wanted to see Brittany strip some more.

"Take me home, Santyana," Brittany breathed into her ear sleepily. She was struggling to walk under Brittany's added weight but Richmond didn't really have any cabs so there wasn't much she could do.

It took a long time and Santana was a little cold in just a tank top but they made it back to the dorm. Without even really considering another option, Santana helped Brittany into the bottom bunk, her own bunk.

There was nothing else she could do for the blonde; she knew from experience that Brittany just needed to sleep it off.

Santana was fairly certain that Brittany was going to be too hung over to go to class tomorrow. If that was the case then the Latina had come to the decision that she was going to stay with her. She'd call her cheering coach tomorrow and tell her she couldn't make it to morning practice either. Santana had a feeling that Brittany had never been drunk before and she was going to need to be taken care of when she woke up.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Santana suddenly felt Brittany's warm hand over hers. She glanced over her shoulder at the blonde laying on her side looking up into her dark eyes.

"You're so beautiful," Brittany said just above a whisper, before smiling and rolling over to face the wall.

Santana's breathing faltered and she continued to stare at the blonde long after she fell asleep. Did she mean that or was she just drunk? She probably just thought Santana was someone else. Either way, her heart was pounding painfully in her chest at those words.

She _really _had to tell her now.


	7. The Hangover

**Thanks to everyone who's still reading my little story! I appreciate all of the helpful feedback. I'm churning these chapters out as fast as I can so thank you for your patience. I hope this story continues to live up to your expectations. Next chapter... a familiar face shows up and Santana is not happy about it.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

* * *

><p>Brittany was awakened suddenly when she felt a wave of nausea hit her. Running to the bathroom, she was able to make it and throw up in the toilet without creating too much of a mess. The bile scorched her throat as she emptied the entire contents of her stomach before reaching up a weak hand to flush it down.<p>

Closing the lid she rested her feverish head on the cold porcelain, trying to remember what the hell happened last night. Images of her father floated in her hazy mind and the anger she felt made her want to throw up again. That's when she remembered going to that party.

She had never gotten drunk or been hung over before. Brittany knew that it was a miserable feeling but she had no idea it felt this bad.

Then another thought occurred to her: _How did she get home?_

As hard as she tried she couldn't remember coming back to the dorm. The very last thing she could recollect was taking three shots of tequila, after that it was all kind of fuzzy. The idea of not knowing what had happened to her last night really bothered her.

"How are you feeling?" Santana's voice asked her from across the room. The blonde didn't have the energy to lift her head, so she merely tilted it to the side to look in the Latina's direction.

Santana had her arms folded across her chest as she leant against the doorframe. The Latina seemed to be trying to act unconcerned but Brittany could see the minute crease of worry on her forehead through her dizziness.

'_I must really look busted_,' Brittany thought miserably to herself.

"I think I handled my liquor pretty well," Brittany attempted to joke, but more than likely she would be sick many more times that day. Santana walked over to her and gently helped her off the floor, leading her back to bed slowly.

"You're just a little hung over, that's all. You'll be okay," Santana told her, walking over to her desk to get something after Brittany was safely in bed.

Brittany laid back and covered her eyes with Santana's pillow to block out the bright sunlight. It eased her searing headache only a little, but she was more affected by the scent of the Latina's shampoo emanating from the pillow.

She was so distracted by Santana's pillow that she didn't notice the woman perch on the side of the bed. Removing it from her face, Brittany saw that it was darker in the dorm than before; Santana had pinned a towel over the window to block out the sun.

Brittany thought she couldn't have been more grateful to the Latina but then Santana handed her a cup of water and some crackers. The last thing she wanted to do was eat, even though she was starving, the nausea was just too overpowering.

"You need something in your stomach. It'll help you feel better, trust me," Santana coaxed her gently. Brittany reluctantly ate a couple crackers and sipped some water before lying back down again.

"Sorry I stole your bed," Brittany apologized. She rested her hand on her stomach and felt the soft fabric underneath and...buttons? Looking down, she took note of what she was wearing.

"And apparently your shirt...wait...how did that happen?" she continued, startled at the realization she was wearing the Latina's shirt. She was pretty sure she hadn't been wearing that yesterday. Santana took the empty glass from Brittany and seemed hesitant to answer the blonde's question while she walked over to her desk.

"Well, Britt...you're a 'stripper drunk,'" Santana informed her after putting the glass down on her desk.

A blush of embarrassment crept up her neck and Brittany could feel the heat burn on her cheeks from it.

'_What the hell did I do? How far did I go? Did Santana see my...?'_ Brittany thoughts caused her to panic and play with the buttons on Santana's shirt nervously.

Brittany wanted to ask Santana all of these questions but she was kind of scared of the answers. The Latina walked back over to her with a trash can that had a plastic bag in it and a towel.

"Here's your certified barf bucket," she told the blonde with a smirk. Brittany had no idea how Santana could be so intuitive and caring. The dark haired woman seemed to know a lot about nursing a hangover.

Santana didn't seem angry with her for running away, quite the opposite actually. She was doing everything in her power to make Brittany feel comfortable.

"Santana...I...," Brittany was having difficulty forming the right words to thank her, but the Latina quickly stopped her.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay," her soft voice sounded upset for the first time since Brittany woke up. Guilt wracked her as she saw the worry on the Latina's face because she was the cause of that, so she felt the need to explain herself.

"He left us when I was five," she whispered, but Santana heard her. She knew this because the Latina's head snapped up quickly as her words.

"Brittany, you don't have to tell me anything," Santana assured her, chocolate eyes sincere.

"I want to," the blonde told her confidently. Santana merely nodded, sat down on the bed, and gave Brittany her full attention.

"You probably figured out that he was my dad. Right before my sister was born he left. He dropped me off at school one day and never picked me up. No good bye. No explanation," Brittany told her in a rush. She wanted to get this out before she lost the courage.

"Mom didn't have a job and she was seven months pregnant. She was able to get unemployment benefits for a little while but it wasn't enough. Luckily, Grandma was able to watch me and Lindsey while Mom held down two jobs. We got by, but it wasn't easy," Brittany explained, unable to meet Santana's eyes. She didn't want to see the pity there.

"I haven't seen him since, so you can see why I reacted the way I did," Brittany finished, finally glancing up at the Latina.

* * *

><p>Santana listened intently to the blonde's story and kept thinking about the folded piece of paper in her pocket. The right thing to do would be to give it to her. It was really hard to do that after her story though. This man had not only caused her pain but the hardships she had to face because of his absence were even worse.<p>

Once Brittany was done speaking, Santana decided that she had to give her the note.

"Brittany, after you left...he asked me to give you this," Santana handed her the note and the blonde took it from her fingers slowly. Maybe it had been a bad time to bring this up. She was already upset and was hung over on top of that.

Santana watched as Brittany took the paper, read it, crumbled it up and tossed it into the barf bucket. She lay back down on her bed and folded her arms over her face.

"Just some half-assed apology. I thought maybe after all this time he would have been a little more creative than, 'I'm so sorry...I love you...I can explain,'" Brittany's muffled voice came from under her arms.

Santana had no idea what to do. As much as she wanted to read that letter it was none of her business. She could tell when Brittany read it that it wasn't very long; only a few lines. It's hard to imagine anything that short being able to make up for thirteen years of heartache.

"Thanks for not letting him follow me, San," Brittany uncovered her face so she could look the Latina in the eye.

"_I_ should have followed you," Santana replied looking away in guilt. If she had just gone after her then all of this could have been avoided. Brittany then did something that surprised her; she sat up and wrapped her arms around Santana's waist, resting her head on the Latina's shoulder.

"You're amazing," she whispered and Santana could feel Brittany's warm breath on her neck causing her to shiver a bit. Brittany's weight on her back was extremely comforting and it just felt right to be this close to her.

Santana wanted to tell her everything at that moment, but her fear of the blonde's reaction was paralyzing her.

"Ugh I'm too nauseous to sit up," Brittany whined groggily before laying back down. Santana didn't even have time to miss the contact because the blonde shot back up before her head even hit the pillow.

"Don't you have cheering practice today?" Brittany asked her in a panic. Santana just smiled at her in affection and gently guided her back down to on the bed.

"It's okay. I told Quinn to tell coach that I couldn't make it today," she told Brittany who still seemed in disbelief.

"Are you going to get in trouble? You should have gone! I would have been fine. Oh, I shouldn't have sat up so fast," Brittany said quickly, closing her eyes to force the nausea away.

"Hey, don't worry about it. I wanted to stay and make sure you were all right," Santana was trying to tell Brittany in every word she said that she had feelings for her. More than anything she wanted the blonde to understand that she honestly cared for her.

Brittany let her eyelids slide open and she stared at Santana with those bright blue eyes. It could have been Santana's imagination but she swore that there was something behind that look; as if Brittany was trying to tell her something too.

"You should get some more sleep. If you need anything let me know," Santana told her just above a whisper. Brittany just nodded silently and did something that shocked the Latina once again: she lifted her head and rested it in Santana's lap.

A wave of emotion ran through her as Brittany's body began to relax in sleep. She was so incredibly beautiful laying there and Santana wanted nothing more than to kiss her at that very moment.

Instead, Santana took a calming breath and leaned back on her arms and just watched Brittany sleep.

* * *

><p>Brittany had no idea how long she had slept, but the first thing she noticed when she woke up was how very safe she felt.<p>

She still felt a little weak but not nearly as nauseous as she had been. Slowly opening her eyelids she was surprised by how dark it was in the dorm.

"Hey there," Brittany heard Santana's soft voice above her head. Rolling over, the blonde realized that her head was in Santana's lap, but for some reason she didn't leave.

"What time is it?" Brittany asked, rubbing her eyes to clear them of sleep. Her heart began to pound in her chest as she stared up at the gorgeous Latina, who was smiling down at her.

"A little after six," Santana responded and Brittany decided it was probably time to get up. She couldn't believe she had slept pretty much all day, but at least she felt a whole lot better.

Santana was staring at her intensely and Brittany was having a hard time remembering how to breath. The Latina reached out her hand and it hovered over Brittany's forehead for a moment before she pulled it back. Brittany would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed that Santana hadn't touched her.

"I have something I need to tell you," Santana told her in a strained voice.

Brittany could swear her heart stopped beating; was Santana going to say what she hoped she was? If Santana even had the slightest attraction to her she would be completely happy.

All Santana had to do was take that first step; there would be no way that Brittany would able to deny her feelings for the Latina any longer.

Brittany sat up and gave Santana her complete attention, but the Latina refused to look at her. She seemed incredibly nervous, so Brittany gently placed her hand over Santana's and squeezed it in an attempt to comfort her.

Santana looked down at their hands and then directly into Brittany's eyes and something in her eyes told her that Santana had made a decision.

The Latina opened her mouth to say something but before she could even get a word out someone knocked on the door.

The sound of it startled them out of their almost intimate moment and it left them in an awkward silence afterward. Santana stood slowly and made her way over to the door to see who it was. After checking the peephole in the door, she looked a little confused but answered the door anyway.

Brittany could tell from where she was still sitting on the bed that it was a blonde man and immediately she was pissed. How could her father come here again? She stood up and rushed over to the door, but when she got there she stopped short.

This was a young blonde man, about her age, holding a bouquet of flowers and looking a little embarrassed. Honestly, Brittany thought he kind of looked like Justin Bieber.

Santana turned to her and gave her a questioning stare as if to ask her if she knew this guy. In return, Brittany just shrugged and shook her head indicating she had no idea who he was. She was just glad that it wasn't her father.

"Wow, I am really sorry. I definitely have the wrong dorm," the guy apologized, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Who are you looking for?" Brittany asked, trying to be helpful and he smiled gratefully at her.

"I'm looking for my girlfriend, Mercedes. I drove all the way from JMU to surprise her," he told them, gesturing to the flowers as evidence.

"Oh, she's next door," Brittany informed him, pointing to the right, towards Quinn and Mercedes' dorm. She felt a little bad for him. She had never been to JMU but she knew that it was a couple of hours away.

"Thanks...My name's Sam, by the way," he introduced holding his hand out to Brittany.

"Brittany," she replied taking his hand before he turned to the Latina.

"Santana. It was nice to meet you, Sam," she said, shaking his hand.

"Wish me luck," Sam said, smiling nervously and walking next door. Santana and Brittany waved to him before closing the door.

Now that they were both alone again, the awkward silence returned. Brittany wanted more than anything for Santana to say something.

* * *

><p>Santana didn't know if she still had the courage to tell her now. That interruption had thrown her off. She had almost told Brittany right then and there but now she didn't know if she could.<p>

She knew she had to at least listen to Kurt's advice and tell Brittany about her sexuality. Brittany had a right to know as her roommate. Santana just hoped that she wouldn't become uncomfortable around her or worse, want to move out.

Making her way over to her desk, Santana sat in the chair. Brittany followed her and perched on the edge of the desk itself.

She had to tell her. It was just so hard. Santana could feel sweat begin to trickle down her back and her hands starting to clam up.

"It's okay, Santana," Brittany told her softly and Santana looked up at the blonde. It was as if she already knew what she was going to say, but she still had to voice it out loud.

"I'm a lesbian," she blurted. For a moment, Brittany's face didn't change and Santana wondered if she heard or if she hadn't actually said it at all.

Then, Brittany's face broke into a wide grin. Santana was confused for a second because it almost looked as if the blonde was suppressing a laugh. What was funny? Didn't she know how hard this was?

Santana was starting to get angry when Brittany placed a hand on her shoulder and met her eyes directly.

"I'm really happy you trusted me enough to tell me, San, but I already know," Brittany reassured her, smiling brightly at her.

Her anger melted away and it was replaced by relief. She had done it and Brittany didn't give a crap. Santana let out a nervous laugh and covered her face with a hand. Why had she been so worried about what Brittany would think?

"You don't feel weird living with me?" Santana asked quietly. She wanted to make sure everything was okay.

"Of course not. I'm not giving up the best roommate ever. I like you too much," Brittany told her. Immediately after those words came out of her mouth she turned away, but Santana was too distracted by her pounding heart to notice the expression on Brittany's face.

'_Did she just say that? Holy crap! She likes me!'_ Santana kept thinking over and over. She was glad that she listened to Kurt on this, but right now she wasn't quite ready to reveal her feelings for Brittany yet.

"Thanks, Britt," Santana whispered, and did something uncharacteristic for her. She initiated contact by standing up and approaching the blonde woman to wrap her arms around Brittany tightly.

At first, Brittany was motionless and Santana wondered if this was inappropriate after revealing her sexuality. A second later her fears dissolved when Brittany placed her arms over Santana's and leaned back into her.


	8. Competition

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

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><p>Brittany stood in front of the mirror in the shared bathroom trying to make her hair look perfect. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't quite get it to sit right on her head. Eventually she was going to have to face up to the fact that it was going to be a bad hair day. Frustrated, she slammed the brush down on the counter and tried to calm herself by taking a deep breath.<p>

Normally, she wouldn't be so concerned with how she looked but today was different. She was going to see Santana perform in a cheering competition. The Latina had reminded her over and over that it was just a small little scrimmage to see where they were at, but Brittany was excited to finally see what she could do.

Brittany had felt even closer to Santana since she had come out to her as a lesbian. Kurt had been right about her sexuality, could he be right about Santana having a crush on her too? She had called Kurt the very next morning and told him what Santana had revealed about herself. He basically just said, "I told you so," and hung up since it had been like six in the morning.

These thoughts made her chest tighten in emotion. She wanted the Latina to have feelings for her so bad. The more time she spent with Santana the harder it was to pretend that she wasn't incredibly attracted to her. She just didn't know if she had the courage to make the first move.

Determined to look good for Santana, the blonde straightened up to continue brushing her hair when she noticed someone in her peripheral vision. Before Brittany had a chance to say anything, Quinn walked in and started doing her makeup in front of the mirror beside her.

She was already in her black and gold cheering uniform and her hair was up in a ponytail with ribbons in it. Brittany turned and made to leave to give the other blonde girl some privacy but the sound of Quinn's soft voice stopped her.

"You're coming to the cheering competition to watch Santana, right?" Quinn asked, meeting her eyes in the reflective glass. Brittany stared into her blue irises which held something she couldn't quite discern, but she could tell it wasn't friendly.

"Yea. Why?" Brittany replied, wondering what difference it made to her.

"The girls on the squad are talking about her, you know. If you're there it'll just confirm their suspicions," Quinn told her in a matter of fact tone, not batting an eyelash as she leaned closer to the mirror applied lipstick.

Brittany had a sinking feeling that Quinn knew about Santana and that she didn't approve. If it was just her reputation on the line then she would tell this girl to suck it but she didn't want Santana to get in trouble with the squad.

"We're roommates. I'm not allowed to go watch her cheer?" Brittany tried to keep her cool, but there was an obvious tremor in her voice.

"You can do whatever you want. But, what she is...it's wrong," Quinn informed her offhandedly as she snapped the lid back on her lipstick and gave Brittany a challenging look as if daring her to disagree.

Brittany's first reaction was shock but it quickly turned into anger. How could this girl, who knew nothing about Santana, judge her? Brittany had thought that Quinn was their friend.

She tried to control her emotions so that she wouldn't slap her. Then a thought occurred to her and fear gripped her heart, making its beating difficult and erratic. Could Quinn get Santana kicked off the cheering squad? Out of school?

Once she had calmed herself enough to speak, Brittany stared directly into Quinn's eyes and stood to her full height.

"Santana is my friend and there is nothing wrong with her," Brittany almost growled at Quinn who looked pissed but not surprised by her response.

Not wanting to hear anything else the other blonde had to say, Brittany walked out of the bathroom and back into her dorm.

After she closed the door, she turned and was startled to see Santana sitting on her bed staring at her. The Latina never looked so small before, playing with her hands in her lap and crossing and uncrossing her legs nervously.

* * *

><p>Santana quickly glanced away when Brittany looked at her. She had heard everything that was said between her and Quinn in the bathroom. How could she know? Brittany obviously hadn't told her but no one else knew except some people from high school. What were the chances that Quinn knew people from Jane Addams Academy? Or was she just that transparent?<p>

All of these thoughts swirled through Santana's mind and she was so distracted that she didn't notice Brittany sit beside her on the bed. She was only aware of the blonde's presence when she placed her hand on the skin of her bare knee.

A shiver of pleasure ran up her spine at the contact but she forced herself to ignore it. She chanced a glance at the blonde and Santana immediately regretted it. Brittany was staring at her with worry in her blue eyes and she hated being the cause of it.

"I guess you heard that," Brittany began softy, while using her thumb to stroke the Latina's knee. It was incredibly soothing and Santana had difficulty focusing on what they were talking about.

"It's okay. Thanks for sticking up for me, Britt," Santana smiled at her and stood up. If she sat there with Brittany touching her like that for much longer, she'd go insane.

The blonde stood and watched Santana's every movement. If it had been anyone else this would have bothered the Latina and she would have told them to mind their business. The fact that it was Brittany made it okay; nice even.

"She shouldn't have said that though," Brittany told her simply with a shrug of her shoulders. Santana was perpetually amazed by this woman's capacity for understanding and her ability to stand up for what she believed without a second thought.

"I'm used to people like that. It's okay if you changed your mind about coming to the competition," Santana reminded her for the hundredth time, but Brittany stopped her with a roll of her eyes.

"I already told you. I'm coming. Now, we have to go or you're going to be late," Brittany told her with a teasing smile on her lips.

Santana returned the smile and ran her hands over her cheering uniform to smooth it out before they gathered their things and began to make their way to the competition.

* * *

><p>Brittany took her seat in the stands of the Siegal Center, VCU's largest gym, where the competition was going to be held. There were plenty of empty seats but there were still a lot of people there to watch.<p>

According to the program, VCU would only be competing against one other squad, University of Richmond. Brittany knew a little bit about cheering but she had no idea whether U of R was good or not.

Craning her neck, Brittany tried to look around and find Santana but to no avail. She must be off somewhere warming up. As soon as she sat back in her seat the U of R squad ran onto the middle of the temporary mat.

They took their places and there was a moment of almost complete silence before the music blared out of the giant speakers. Then, there was an explosion of movement and Brittany was awed by everything that was going on.

Back at home she had watched cheering competitions on T.V. and seen her high school cheerleaders at football games, but this was nothing like that. There was so much going on, it amazed her that no one ran into each other.

As a dancer she had learned to coordinate her moves with the people around or work with a partner but this was insane. There were so many people doing so many dangerous looking things at one time.

Brittany watched nervously as one of the girls almost fell during one of the lifts, but she managed to catch her balance and save it. They soon finished and everyone around her clapped for them, but they were in front of a largely VCU crowd so it seemed mostly just polite applause more than anything.

Then, VCU cheering squad ran out onto the mat in a blur of black and gold. All around her people were cheering loudly as they took their positions, but all Brittany could pay attention to was Santana.

The Latina was so gorgeous in her cheering uniform standing directly in the center of the group. Her dark hair was pulled tight into a ponytail on the top of her head with black and gold ribbons tied in it. It was hard to see from this distance but Brittany had already memorized every detail of Santana's appearance so she could picture her face clearly in her mind.

They began their routine and Brittany followed Santana's every movement as she did hand springs and back flips in perfect sync with the music. She looked so graceful and Brittany couldn't stop the awe that was probably written on her face.

It was almost as if the Latina was defying gravity in the way she did her flips. Brittany was so amazed by Santana's movements that she was really disappointed when the routine was over. She stared down at the dark haired woman from above and watched as the Latina finally looked up at her.

Santana's eyes fell on Brittany and a wide smile graced her lips which the blonde returned brightly. They only met each other's eyes for a moment but it felt much longer to Brittany. Something about the way Santana looked at her gave her a thrill up her spine and she continued to watch the Latina as she ran off the mat.

* * *

><p>The squad made their way back into the warm up area and Santana breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing that Brittany was sitting out there watching her had made her extremely nervous. She had convinced herself that she was going to mess up and make a fool of herself in front of the girl she liked.<p>

However, after the routine Santana felt like she had done better than ever and that VCU was going to win easily. U of R had a really complex routine but they had stumbled a few times, so hopefully enough points would be deducted for them to lose. It would feel even better if Brittany saw her squad win.

Another thing that had distracted her from the routine was the little remark Quinn had made back in the dorms. While they had been warming up Santana could feel Quinn's eyes searing her back every time she turned away.

Santana had pretended not to be bothered by what Quinn said, but it had really gotten to her. She wondered how many people Quinn had told; did the whole squad know by now? Every whisper sounded like her name and every look seemed to be in her direction. Santana sincerely hoped that she was just being paranoid..

All of her life, Santana had not been one to shy away from a fight which is the main reason she got sent to Jane Addams Academy. This time was no exception. Now that the competition was over, she decided to confront Quinn.

The blonde girl was off to the side stretching out her legs so they wouldn't cramp after the strenuous effort of the routine. Santana approached quickly and let her anger from earlier take over.

"I heard what you said to Brittany," Santana hissed quietly so none of their teammates would hear what was being said. Quinn turned around slowly and the Latina could already tell that she had gone on the offensive.

"What about it?" the blonde girl challenged, not raising her voice, but the threat couldn't have been clearer from her tone.

"If you've got something to say, say it to me. Don't go behind my back like a coward," Santana folded her arms across her chest and glared aggressively at Quinn. For some reason, her mind kept telling her that this was a bad idea. Her thoughts drifted back to Brittany and she couldn't help feel guilty.

"I was just trying to help Brittany out. You don't want to ruin her reputation, do you?" Quinn asked her with fake concern. Santana knew for a fact that this girl didn't give a shit about Brittany, but that wasn't what this was about.

"What do you have against me?" Santana wanted to know what she had done to this girl to cause a reaction like this.

"Oh, please. Everyone knows. I just feel bad for Brittany. I bet you sneak peeks at her while she's changing," Quinn accused, her voice rising and Santana swore she saw a few of her teammates turn to see what was going on. It was as if Quinn was begging for a fight.

In the background, Santana could hear someone telling them it was time to go find out who won. She had almost forgotten about the competition after hearing what the blonde had just said. Her blood was boiling in her veins and she wanted nothing more than to punch this nasty girl in the face.

The thing that pissed her off the most was that she had unintentionally had peaks at Brittany while she was changing. It was never on purpose and Santana started to feel a little disgusted with herself. This had never been a problem with any other girl before. Not once had she accidently watched anyone in the locker room change foe cheering practice. Why did Brittany have this effect on her? And why couldn't she control herself?

Quinn triumphantly straightened up, knowing that she had struck a very sensitive nerve in the Latina. She began walking away from the dark haired woman, but Santana wasn't finished. Without really thinking about the consequences she grabbed the fabric of the blonde girl's uniform and physically forced Quinn to look at her.

She wanted to hurt Quinn so bad, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. The blonde girl's eyes held defiance but they were also had the subtle traces of fear in them. Quinn honestly thought that Santana was going to hit her.

A thousand threats circled around in her mind, but something prevented her from saying any of them. Seeing that people all around them were starting to stare Santana released Quinn, who looked like she was going to slap the Latina.

Instead Quinn just followed everyone out of the waiting area and into the gym without so much as a backward glance. Santana had a dark feeling that wasn't going to be the end of this.

Santana mentally berated herself for not at least saying something. She hadn't resorted to violence but she hadn't stuck up for herself either. Quinn deserved everything that she got, so why had she stopped herself from telling the blonde girl off?

After straightening her uniform Santana casually made her way back into the gym to see who had won. She, for once, didn't mind if they won or lost. Her confrontation with Quinn had ruined her mood, but when she got out into the gym her eyes immediately found Brittany again in the seats. Everything that had just happened was pushed out of her mind at the sight of the blonde. The only thing she cared about now was the fact that Brittany had come to see her and she hadn't messed up.

They lined up in front of the judges which were made up of local cheering coaches. This competition didn't really mean anything and the only reason Santana would care about winning was if Brittany thought it was more impressive.

After a few minutes a red headed female judge stood up and announced that VCU was the winner. Santana figured that they would win, but instead of celebrating with everyone else she looked up at where Brittany was sitting to gauge her reaction.

The blonde shot up out of her seat and was clapping profusely along with the people around her. Santana met her eyes and immediately Brittany raced down the stairs to come see her.

She felt her heart swell as the blonde rushed towards her and grabbed her in a bone crushing hug. Struggling to breath, Santana tapped Brittany's back in an attempt to get her to loosen up a little.

"That was AMAZING!" Brittany yelled in her ear. While Santana was secretly pleased by the blonde's praise, she pretended to be modest anyway.

"It was a pretty standard routine. We just didn't mess up like they did," she claimed, trying and failing to sound nonchalant as Brittany slowly released her.

"I didn't know you were so _good_," Brittany continued to gush and Santana didn't know if her ego could get any bigger at this point.

The praise lasted all the way back to the dorms and Santana had a hard time not playing it up. The way Brittany was looking at her with such awe felt too good and she really had no intentions of bringing up her run in with Quinn. It would just kill the mood.

Once they were back in their room they both got ready for bed and laid in the dark whispering to each other back and forth.

"I didn't know it was even physically possible to jump that high," Brittany gushed for the millionth time that night, and once again, Santana's felt the blood rush to her face. She didn't know what to say for a moment, but eventually words came to her after a brief, comfortable silence between them.

"I'm really glad you came. It meant a lot to me," Santana whispered sincerely towards Brittany in the top bunk. Once again there was a pause, and for a second, the Latina thought that maybe Brittany had fallen asleep.

"I wouldn't miss it...I really like you, Santana."

That comment took the dark haired woman off guard and for a moment she swore her heart would pound right out of her chest. Did Brittany mean it _that _way or was she just being nice? Santana thoughts were swirling through her almost as wildly as her emotions. She must have waited too long to respond because Brittany looked over the edge of her bunk and stared at her.

"Santana? Are you awake?" she whispered, her hair falling all around her head in her upside down state.

"Yea, sorry. I really like you too, Britt," Santana whispered back. She could have punched herself for how lame she sounded, but the blonde had completely caught her off guard. Her heart may never go back to its normal rhythm.

Brittany seemed satisfied though because she smiled and lifted herself back up into her bunk. If she had watched the Latina a little bit longer, Brittany would have seen Santana's silent victory dance.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the ridiculously long wait, but I hav<strong>**e a lot on my plate right now. I will do my very best to update much faster next time. I hope everyone is still reading and enjoying my story. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and gave me the confidence to keep writing. I appreciate you all and I hope you haven't given up on this story yet. **


	9. A Visit to Breadstix

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

* * *

><p>Fridays are the worst. Brittany grabbed her bag and raced out of last class as fast as she could, before anyone else had even packed up their things. Luckily, this class was only four blocks from her and Santana's dorm which was good since if it was any farther she'd be late for work...again.<p>

Brittany was seriously questioning whether having a job during her first semester of college was such a good idea after all. It was hard spending all morning and afternoon in class and then all night at work. Every small break in between was spent doing homework and rushing to the dining hall to get some really unhealthy looking food. Working at Breadstix was good in that she got free dinner every night she worked, but Brittany was afraid that her school work was starting to suffer.

Not that she really had any choice in the matter. Her mom couldn't afford to loan her any money and there was no way Brittany was going to ask her for some. At the same time, if her grades started to slip then she would lose her financial aid and then none of it would matter at all. Brittany had already determined that she would just have to work harder. There was no way that she was going to get kicked out of school. She needed to stay with Santana.

That thought made Brittany pause as she approached the door to her dorm. Blood pounded in her ears as she replayed that thought over and over in her mind. _I need to stay with Santana_.

Forcing her limbs to obey her, Brittany turned the key and made her way into the room. She set down her phone on her desk before grabbing her work clothes out of her dresser. Where had this come from? What the hell did she need Santana for? Brittany already knew the answers to these questions, but it was easier to pretend she didn't.

Brittany tried to think about how these past couple months would have gone if she'd had some other roommate. She really didn't think that she would have made it this far into the semester with her sanity intact if it wasn't for the fiery Latina.

She was buttoning up the plain, white Breadstix uniform when she heard her phone buzz loudly against the wood of her desk. Walking over and picking up her phone, Brittany looked at the little LED screen that read, 'MOM.'. Without thinking, she answered it and continued to get ready again.

"Hi, Mom," Brittany greeted, holding the phone up to her ear with just her shoulder while she tucked her shirt into the black dress pants she was wearing.

"Hi, Brittany. How are you, Sweetie?" her mom asked, but there was something in her tone that made the blonde girl pause what she was doing.

"I'm good, Mom. What's up?" Brittany put the cell phone on speaker and set it down on her desk while she threw her hair into a tight ponytail.

"This may seem ridiculous, but...uhm, well... I was just wondering... Did your...father... come see you?" despite her mom's quiet voice her words still echoed through the empty room.

Brittany froze for a moment and stared at the phone. How did her mom know that? Did her father go and try to see them too? Slowly, she picked up the phone, took it off speaker, and pressed it hesitantly to her ear.

"Yes...He did. Why? Did he go there too?" Brittany asked, treading carefully. The last thing she wanted to do was to make her mom more upset than she already was.

"No, but he called here yesterday. He wanted to talk to Lindsey. I wouldn't let him though," her mother told her with bitterness. Brittany could hear the emotion in every word her mother spoke and once again angered boiled at her father's nerve. How could he come back after all this time and try to upturn their lives? And, why was he being so persistent?

"He did the same thing with me, except he somehow found out where my dorm is. He wrote me a three sentence apology and expected that to fix things between us," Brittany informed her mother, not wanting to go into too much detail of her father's visit. The older woman sighed on the other side of the line and Brittany hated causing her mother any more stress.

"I'm so sorry, Britt. I told him to leave us all alone, but I don't think we've seen the last of him," her mom's soft voice sounded exhausted, the strain plainly evident.

There was so much that Brittany wanted to say to her mom, but she was already running late for work. After slipping on her shoes and grabbing her things, the blonde woman took a deep breath and addressed her mom as calmly as possible.

"Mom, I'm really sorry, but I have to go to work. It'll be late, but do you want me to call you when I get off?" Brittany asked as gently as she could.

"Oh, no you don't have to do that, Sweetie. Don't work too hard," judging from the sound of her mom's voice, Brittany could tell there was more she wanted to say as well, but it would have to wait until later.

"I won't. Love you, Mom. Bye," Brittany finished, listening to her mother's farewell response before hanging up her phone.

Just as she was about to head out the door, Brittany quickly turned around and ripped a piece of paper from one of her notebooks. She folded it in half, scribbled something quickly but carefully, set in on Santana's desk, and practically ran out the door, pausing only to lock it before heading to work.

* * *

><p>A toned, olive-skinned leg slipped out from behind the shower curtain and a moment later the body it was attached to followed. Santana stepped out of the shower and grabbed her towel off of the porcelain sink and held it to her face. As she ran the towel over her skin her thoughts drifted to her roommate as they often did when she was alone.<p>

It was getting more and more difficult to be in the same room with Brittany and not being able to act on her feelings. Santana had to consciously put space between herself and the blonde, but at the same time, all she wanted to do was be as close to Brittany as physically possible.

Once she was dressed, Santana let her eyes fall on their neighbor's door and her thoughts immediately darkened. She had known that there was something different about Quinn, but she had no idea that she was so homophobic.

Ever since she had come out, Santana had been confronted with people like this, but never someone so incredibly blunt about it. Being on the cheering squad with the blonde bigot made things extremely uncomfortable, not to mention, Quinn lived right next door, and they shared a bathroom. It wasn't going to be easy being this close to someone who basically hated her for something she could not- would not change.

The Latina pushed these thoughts from her mind and made her way back into her and Brittany's room. While she was wrapping the towel around her hair Santana noticed a small piece of notebook paper on her desk.

She immediately noticed Brittany's graceful handwriting and turned it slightly so she could read it to herself,

_"Hey, San! Hope you had a good practice! I'm off to work. Be back around 10. Britt."_

The Latina's heart warmed at the simple note that the blonde girl had left her. It was incredibly sweet of Brittany to let her know where she was. Santana took the note, folded it up, and discreetly tucked into her desk drawer so she could read it again later.

After cheering practice, Santana had gone straight to the library to pick up a few books for a paper she was writing. Back in high school she never would have cared enough to actually do some research for an assignment, but she found out pretty quickly in college that you can't slack off but so much. Now, it was already well into the evening and the last of rays of sun had already trickled below the horizon.

She had already known that Brittany had to go to work tonight, so her plans didn't change. The Latina continued to get ready, dressing herself in skin tight jeans with black, leather boots and a simple purple t-shirt that hung off her shoulders. After blow drying her hair and straightening it to perfection, she applied her usual makeup and threw on some accessories. Satisfied with how she looked, Santana grabbed her wallet- she had never really been a purse kind of girl- and walked out of the dorm, locking it on her way out.

She made her way out onto Main Street, the wind blowing roughly between the tall buildings and hitting Santana square in the face. Despite the fact that it was still the beginning of fall, the wind was kind of chilly and the Latina immediately regretted not wearing a jacket. Luckily, it wasn't too far of a walk to Brittany's work, which was her destination.

Almost every night after work, the blonde would come home and vent about the customers she had to deal with and all Santana wanted to do was make her night a little bit better by visiting her. Not to mention, Santana wanted to see her. Brittany was always so busy that, even though they slept in the same room, Santana hardly ever saw her.

As she approached Breadstix, she could see through the large glass windows the signs of the dinner rush coming to an end. Now the only people who were left were the stragglers and people who just wanted to sit and talk at their tables for a little longer before parting ways.

Wanting to get out of the chilly wind, Santana immediately walked inside and up to the host, who was an abnormally tall, goofy-looking guy. He had his hair done up in a little bit of a faux hawk and he seemed kind of awkward, as if he hadn't quite ever gotten used to his height. His name tag read, "Finn Hudson," and the Latina thought that was an odd name but didn't dwell on it too much.

"Hi, welcome to Breadstix, just one?" he asked, and Santana could see him checking her out. She couldn't help but mentally roll her eyes at him, but she was used to guys eyeing her like a piece of meat.

"Yea, I'd like to sit in Brittany's section, if that's possible," Santana wasn't really asking him. She would wait for hours if she had to until there was a table ready in the blonde's section.

"Sure, right this way," he smiled, leading her through a maze of tables and chairs. Santana craned her neck all around the restaurant trying to catch a glimpse of her beautiful roommate, but to no avail.

They reached a table tucked away from the others and Finn pulled out her chair for her. Santana almost went to the other chair just to give him a clear message, but she thought better of it and sat, taking the menu from his hand.

"Brittany will be right with you," Finn told her, trying to catch her eye, but she was too busy trying to find the blonde.

She sat there and pretended to read the menu while looking around when she spotted the last person she wanted to see.

He was alone too and doing the same thing she was doing. Anger coursed through Santana's veins at his audacity. This man could not take a hint. Without really thinking about what she was doing, she stood up and advanced on his table aggressively.

The last thing Santana wanted to do was make a scene so she slid into the booth and stared at him as calmly as she could. Brittany's father looked up, startled at her sudden appearance across from him.

He opened his mouth to speak but the Latina wasn't going to hear his bullshit today. She quickly put her hand up to silence him and started talking over him.

"I don't know what the hell your deal is, but we need to get something clear: Brittany. Does. _Not_. Want. To. See. You," Santana growled quietly, enunciating every word.

"Did you give her my letter?" he asked, ignoring the Latina's warning. She tried to read his eyes, but whatever he was feeling, he was hiding it well.

"I did, and she threw it in the trash," Santana didn't know how to get it through his head that his daughter didn't want him around. The older man looked away for a moment and the Hispanic woman would have felt guilty if it wasn't for the agony he put Brittany in.

"Did she even read it?" the blonde man asked, meeting Santana's gaze after a moment. She saw a flash of something in his eyes. It was so brief that she wasn't positive what it was, but it made her very uncomfortable. She decided to finish this as quickly as possible before Brittany showed up.

"Yes. Popping up everywhere isn't going to make her change her mind. You have to give her space and let her decide whether she wants you to be in her life or not," Santana hissed at him, and his eyes narrowed a little at that. That uncomfortable feeling rose up in her again and she just hoped he would go as soon as possible.

Thankfully, Brittany's father decided that leaving was his best option because a second later, without another word, he slowly slid out of the booth and made his way quietly out of the restaurant.

Realizing what she had just done, Santana's heart began to race and she tried to take a few calming breaths on her way back to her table. She tried to put up a front that she was hard, but whatever that look was in his eyes, it really bothered her.

Santana was about to sit down when she felt eyes on her back, so she turned around and looked up.

* * *

><p>Brittany had seen everything that had gone on between Santana and her father. She hadn't heard anything said, but she could read the tone of the conversation in their facial expressions. Originally, Brittany was just going to tell some other server to wait on her father because she just couldn't face the familiar flood of anger and pain at seeing him.<p>

Then Santana, her perfect roommate, had come, seemingly out of nowhere, and went right up to her father and somehow made him leave. Brittany couldn't have been more grateful to the Latina.

The blonde made her way towards Santana, the only one left in her section at this time of night. The dark haired woman still hadn't sat down; she continued to stand awkwardly in front of her chair.

When Brittany was directly in front of Santana, she let herself smile at the other woman and breath a sigh of relief. The Hispanic woman returned the smile albeit a little nervously, but she accepted the hug that Brittany gave her.

She breathed in Santana's scent and for a moment forgot where they were and everything around them. Gently releasing the other woman, Brittany smiled and was finally ready to speak up to her roommate.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she half-whispered to the Latina who was mere inches away from her.

"I wanted to surprise you," Santana's strong, slightly raspy voice replied and Brittany had a hard time focusing on her surroundings. She saw the dark haired woman's eyes shift to look at something over her shoulder, so Brittany turned to see what she was looking at.

Her boss, a short Indian man, was standing behind her, shuffling his feet, and waiting patiently for her to notice him.

"Your shift is up, Ms. Pierce. Don't forget to clock out. I'll see you Friday night," he told her with a small smile and a nod.

"Thank you, Mr. Figgins," she replied, returning his smile before he walked away. She was thankful that she had such a nice boss, even if he was on the stingy side.

"Can I walk you home?" Brittany turned at the sound of Santana's voice and smiled warmly at the other woman.

"Sure. Give me a second. I'll be right back," Brittany told her with a big grin on her face, the fact that her father had just been there almost totally forgotten.

The blonde turned on her heel and practically skipped into the back and clocked herself out, untied her apron, and ran back to the Latina as quickly as possible.

"You ready?" Santana asked her when she got back and still breathless, Brittany simply nodded happily.

The Hispanic woman led them to the front door and held it open for Brittany before following her out. They walked slowly despite the fact that it was quite cold out and the streets were eerily dark and empty.

More than once Brittany bumped into Santana, "on accident" mostly to make sure she was still there but also to feel the Latina's warm skin.

It didn't take long for them to get back to their dorm and as soon as the door was shut Brittany started changing out of her work uniform without really thinking anything of it. As she began unbuttoning her blouse she heard a loud choking sound and looked up to see Santana very deliberately looking away.

The thought that she was making the Latina so embarrassed gave Brittany a thrill of pleasure that surprised even herself. Instead of going to the bathroom to change, she simply turned and continued to undress.

She heard Santana shuffling around with things on her desk but could still feel the burn of the Latina's eyes on her back. The thought that she was torturing Santana had never crossed her mind. All Brittany knew was that she enjoyed the feeling of the other woman's eyes on her. It made her feel attractive in a way she had never felt before.

Once Brittany was completely changed into her pajamas, she turned to look at Santana and noticed that she was still standing awkwardly next to the desk. There was something about the way the Hispanic woman's dark hair fell in front of her face that accentuated her high cheek bones and made Brittany's stomach twist in a way she wasn't familiar with.

Brittany was about to approach the other woman, but Santana quickly grabbed her pajamas and practically ran past her to the bathroom. For a moment, Brittany had thought she had done something to upset the Latina. Was changing in front of her inappropriate? She hadn't really revealed anything, but did it offend Santana?

Brittany didn't know what to say to the other woman. Should she apologize? If so, for what? Then she had an idea.

The blonde flopped down on the carpeted floor of the dorm, her limbs splayed out around her. She heard the click of the bathroom door and Santana appeared wearing her pajamas and holding her other clothes. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice Brittany at first. When Santana did finally look down, her expression of shock was quickly replaced with a smile when she saw that Brittany's eyes were open and she was okay.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Santana asked her, tilting her head questioningly. Brittany simply closed her eyes in response and whispered,

"Turn off the lights, please, San. It's easier to talk about difficult things in the dark."

She saw a flash of fear in the Latina's eyes, but it was quickly gone and she made her way over to the light switches, depositing her other clothes on the bed along the way.

Santana met Brittany's eyes one more time before flicking the lights off. Neither of them moved for a few seconds, but then their eyes adjusted and Brittany held her hand out to the Latina.

"Come here," was all Brittany said, but it was enough. Santana took the couple of steps and laced her fingers with Brittany's, then lay out beside her.

"What difficult thing do you need to talk about?" Santana's voice whispered beside her, and she turned her head to look at the blonde. For some reason, it never seemed right to speak loudly in the darkness.

Brittany smiled and tilted her head to face the Latina as well. She hadn't planned anything beyond laying on the floor in the dark, but she supposed now was as good a time as any to get some things out in the open.

"I really like you, Santana" Brittany blurted out quietly afraid she'd never get the nerve again. She heard the other woman shift to lie on her side so that she was completely facing Brittany.

"I like you too, Britt. Where is this coming from?" Santana didn't seem to have gotten the meaning that Brittany was trying to convey, so the blonde steeled her courage once again.

"I mean, I think I _like_ you. You know... like that," words were becoming more and more difficult as Brittany's throat became dry and her nerves began taking over.

Silence met her question, and for a moment, Brittany thought that the Latina hadn't heard her. So, Brittany turned on her side as well to face Santana, and despite the darkness she could still make out the lines of the other woman's face.

"Britt...I," Santana whispered hesitantly.

Brittany could feel the warmth emanating from Santana's skin and her light breathing gently caressed her face. Every cell in her body was screaming to be closer to the Latina and her mind was slowly turning off. The next few moments were a complete blur, Brittany just let go and let her feelings control her actions.

"Can I kiss you?" Brittany asked, already leaning in towards the Latina. She paused a centimeter from Santana's lips just long enough to see the slight nod of her head.

And then, she kissed her. The only way Brittany could describe it would be perfect. It just felt right, like this was who she was supposed to be kissing and no one else. Everything just fell into place and Santana was kissing her back! It was the most amazing feeling in the world and Brittany wished it would never go away.

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><p><strong>What can I say? I was inspired by Season 3 and here I am. I hope you enjoy it and I'm thankful to everyone who is sticking with it despite my huge gaps in updating. Now, that season 3 is here and I have my weekly dose of Glee, I will have no problems having enough inspiration to update. Thank all of you who continue to read and review!<strong>


	10. The Day After

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

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><p>A loud bang woke Santana up with a start. Her head shot up listening, attempting to discern what the noise was. A second later she sighed in relief to realize it was just Mercedes or Quinn in the bathroom getting ready for work or something. As she set her softly head back down on the floor, she became aware of many different things all at once.<p>

For one, she was lying on the floor, but more shocking was that Brittany was cuddled into her side, the blonde's head resting gently in the crook of her neck. Santana's heart began to pound uncontrollably in her chest until the previous night's events came back to her in a rush.

She and Brittany had kissed! Well, Brittany had kissed her and then everything else kind of became fuzzy. What she did remember was how happy she was that all of her feelings were finally out in the open and she didn't have to pretend anymore. The very last thing Santana remembered before falling asleep was whispering,

"Promise me you won't regret this in the morning."

Brittany had looked up at her from her place on Santana's shoulder, her blue eyes penetrating deep and into the Latina's dark ones. She felt so exposed in that one look, but for once in her life it felt good to be vulnerable like that with someone.

"Never," the blonde had told her confidently before lying back down and eventually succumbing to sleep.

Santana's heart swelled with emotion at remembering that one word Brittany had said to her. Would she truly not regret it though? How could all of this possibly be real? It had to be too good to be true. Would the courage they both found in the darkness not withstand the light of morning?

She wrapped her arms more tightly around Brittany as she felt the other woman slowly start to wake. Santana felt the blonde bury her head deep into her neck in order to avoid the light that was starting to trickle through the sole window in the room.

Santana smiled at how incredibly adorable Brittany was and placed a tender kiss to the beautiful, tangled mess that was her blonde hair. A moan escaped Brittany's lips as she lifted her head, and very slowly forced her eyes open.

"Hey, Gorgeous," Santana greeted Brittany with an affectionate smile. It felt so good to be able to say things like that to her. She had no idea where this newfound confidence was coming from, but she hoped it wouldn't scare Brittany off. Almost everyone she had ever known had always thought she was just a bitch, but really Santana wasn't like that all.

Okay, so she was a little bit. That was only because she had been so angry. Angry that it felt like there was no one else in her high school, or Lima for that matter, that was like her or understood who she was. Kurt and Blaine had showed her that there were people like herself in Lima, but she had been too much of a loner to go seek them out. But, Brittany was something else entirely.

Brittany had taught her so much in these past couple of months about who she was and, more importantly, who she wanted to be. It felt amazing to finally have someone who felt the same way about her for once.

"Mhmm," was all Brittany could manage before the strain of holding her head up was apparently too much. Santana was about to let herself drift off back to sleep as well when she felt the weight on top of her almost completely lift.

"Don't you have cheering practice on Saturday mornings?" Santana's eyes flashed open to look at a mildly panicked Brittany. It was true. She did have practice this morning. Honestly, she had forgotten having been so caught up in Brittany. The idea of leaving sunk in, creating an agonizing pain in her chest. How could she leave now? What if Brittany changed her mind and regretted last night's kiss?

Brittany had already jumped up and was checking the time on her phone. Santana groaned in frustration; she knew from the look on the blonde's face that she had to hurry up and get ready to go.

"You have to go! I am not going to be responsible for you getting kicked off the cheering squad. Now, get up, you lazy bum," Brittany teased her and Santana couldn't help but grin at the beautiful woman. She was relieved that there was no awkwardness between them, and while they still had a lot to discuss, everything seemed perfectly normal.

"Okay, okay, I'm up," Santana slowly got to her feet. There was a slight twinge in her back from sleeping on the floor, but it was completely worth it to kiss the blonde woman.

After stretching out her limbs, the Latina watched as Brittany opened up her drawer and pulled out her cheering uniform. She couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face knowing that the blonde knew exactly where Santana kept everything.

Santana went to take the uniform but Brittany's grip remained firmly on it. She looked up questioningly at the blonde only to be pulled in for a kiss.

This one was different than last night's kiss. This one was less timid and Santana felt sure enough of herself to bring up her free hand, lacing her fingers through the soft, blonde hair. A twinge of excitement ran up her spine when she felt Brittany's fingers run up the length of her bare arm to rest delicately on the curve of her neck.

Brittany's lips were soft and were just as Santana remembered them last night. The fact that the blonde hadn't brushed her teeth yet hardly crossed her mind, and frankly, she wouldn't have cared even if she had been aware of it. All she wanted was stay this close to Brittany forever, but that wasn't possible.

The Latina's heart soared knowing that Brittany still felt the same way about her and regretted nothing. All the worries about this ruining their friendship had melted away and Santana was so happy that she had a hard time believing anything could ruin the moment.

Except having to go to cheering practice that is.

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><p>After she had practically shoved Santana out the door, Brittany flopped down on her roommate's bottom bunk. Letting her eyes slide closed, she replayed every second of what happened mere hours ago.<p>

She honestly hadn't remembered consciously making the decision to ask Santana if she could kiss her, much less actually vocalizing it. Then, somehow, she had found the courage to press her lips to Santana's. It was thrilling to finally discover that the Latina's lips were just as soft as they looked and much sweeter than she could have ever imagined. Not to mention that Santana had kissed her back, hesitantly at first, but more confidently as the seconds had passed. Then, she had fallen asleep in Santana's arms and she could honestly say that she had never felt so safe in her life. The Latina had held her as close to herself as she could and Brittany had a hard time remembering anything after that.

Her reverie was broken when she heard her phone ring from across the room, and she cursed it mentally. It was still early but she just figured it was her mother, but when she picked up the small electronic device she saw that it wasn't her mother at all.

Looking up at the sky and sighing to herself, Brittany answered the phone and brought it to her face.

"I have no idea what you should wear, Kurt," she answered exasperatedly to her best friend before he had even opened his mouth.

"Well, that's not a very nice way to answer the phone when your best friend, who hasn't seen you in weeks, calls and-," Brittany knew that this could go on for quite a while so she cut him off quickly.

"Have a date with Blaine tonight?" she asked. Brittany had been friends with Kurt way too long and it was frightening how she could tell, before he even spoke, what the call was about.

"As a matter of fact, I do and I don't appreciate your tone, Missy. Just because you're sad and alone-," once again, Brittany couldn't resist cutting him off.

"I kissed Santana!" she shouted into the phone, unable to hold the news in any longer. She wasn't one to kiss and tell but this was Kurt, he was going to find out anyway. She was sure Santana wouldn't mind anyway.

"Pause. Rewind. Come again? You what?" Kurt asked in disbelief. Brittany knew that her friend had heard her correctly, but she couldn't deny the rush of happiness that went through when she said it aloud. As if it proved that it was real and not just some fantasy she had dreamed up last night.

"I kissed Santana. Last night. She visited me at work and walked me home afterwards. I told her how I feel and we kissed!" Brittany blurted unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

For a moment there was nothing but silence on the other end of the phone, then Kurt shouting in her ear.

"She kissed her, Blaine!" Brittany had to hold the phone away from her ear to preserve what little hearing she had left.

"Brittany kissed Santana or Santana kissed Brittany?" she could hear Blaine shout in the background. Kurt must have put it on speaker.

"I kissed Santana!" Brittany repeated for the third time, but saying it never seemed to get old. She was probably starting to sound like a broken record though.

"And she kissed you back?" Kurt asked with a barely contained squeal of excitement. Brittany had no idea that he and Blaine were so interested in her love life.

"Yea, it was amazing, Kurt," she gushed, flopping back down onto Santana's bunk in perfect bliss.

"Ok, no gory details, but wow, Britt. I'm proud of you! I had no idea you had it in you to make the first move," Kurt replied with an impressed tone of voice.

"Me either. It kinda just happened. It was like it was just meant to happen or something," Brittany closed her eyes and lost herself once again in the thoughts of her roommate.

"I know exactly what you mean. Sooo...are you ladies a couple now?" Kurt questioned, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice, but doing a pretty poor job of it.

"Honestly, I don't know. I mean, we haven't really had a chance to talk about it. She had to go to cheering practice early this morning," all of sudden the doubt started to creep back into her conscious. What if Santana changed her mind and wanted to forget all about last night?

"Well, sounds like you guys need to have a little talk, and fast because Blaine and I want to visit you next month and it'd be really nice if we could go on a double date," Kurt informed her matter-of-factly.

"That's perfect! We have a short fall break next month where we get Thursday and Friday off of classes. I think it's the 14th and the 15th but I'm not sure. I'll get back to you on that," Brittany was already planning in her head what she wanted to do when they visited.

She and Kurt spent the better part of an hour just catching up and talking about where they wanted to go and what they wanted to do when he came to visit. Eventually they both decided that they had probably spent way too much time talking than they should have, and determined it was time to hang up.

After they had said their goodbyes, Brittany was left alone in the silence of her dorm. Santana's practice could be finished at any time since Coach Sylvester never seemed to have a set schedule for practices.

Looking around the dorm, Brittany wasn't sure what she should do now. Being here and doing nothing was just going to make her pine for Santana more, the tug at her heart was already becoming distracting. So, Brittany picked up her things and already knew where she was heading before her hand hit the door knob.

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><p>This was getting absolutely ridiculous. Practice itself wasn't bad it was actually going well if you forgot about Quinn being there. Ever since the little spat between Santana and Quinn at the competition, the blonde girl had been completely unbearable to be around.<p>

Quinn acted as if she had some kind of power over the Latina now that she knew a potentially damaging secret about her. As if she could black mail Santana into doing anything or let Quinn say anything she wanted about her.

They were nearing the end of practice and the sweat was shimmering on Santana's forehead. College cheering was a lot more intense than high school, and despite her frequent trips to the gym, Santana still felt like she was having a hard time keeping up.

They were on the very last lift of the practice; all they had to do was not mess this up and they could go home, and for Santana that meant back to Brittany.

The second she thought of the blonde it was over. Her mind was completely hijacked with images of Brittany and the feeling of being kissed by her.

After all this time, Santana had thought that Brittany was straight and had no idea how she thought about her. Yet, despite the fact that the Latina had assumed that she was the only one with feelings, Brittany had leaned in and kissed _her_.

Needless to say she had not seen that coming. When she saw Brittany lying on the floor and heard that she wanted to talk about difficult things, Santana automatically assumed it was about her father being at Breadstix.

Her thoughts of the beautiful blonde were only temporarily clouded by the image of Brittany's father. His eyes; there was just something in his eyes she didn't like. Santana couldn't even place what it was, but she hoped he listened this time and stayed away.

With those unpleasant thoughts out of the way Santana was free to go back to thinking about Brittany uninterrupted which she did with vigor.

Santana was one of three base girls and they were lifting Quinn who was the flyer since she was the lightest of them all. This was just a simple lift, but if just one member of the base wasn't focused it could easily be ruined. Unfortunately, there was just no focusing Santana today.

A small twinge in her arm caused Quinn to lose her balance and sway a little bit from side to side. The blonde girl looked down directly at Santana once she had regained her composure and the expression of loathing was clear on her face.

"Get it together, dyke," Quinn threatened so the whole squad could hear and that was all Santana needed. She completely released her hold on the blonde girl's foot, but luckily for Quinn the other two base girls and the spotter were able to catch her just before she hit the ground.

"Say that to me now, bitch!" Santana shouted, throwing herself at the blonde, hardly waiting for her feet to land on the ground. Her blood had turned to ice when those words escaped Quinn's lips, and she wasn't going to let her get away with it.

"Drop me again, _dyke_, and you'll regret it," Quinn threatened with an air of arrogance that made Santana want to rip her face off.

"Break it up! And get out of here. NOW! You all suck so bad its making my eczema flare up," Coach Sylvester shouted at them and they didn't need to be told twice.

The girls holding Santana released her once she stopped struggling and Quinn had already turned her back on the Latina to go grab her bag. Santana had visions of running up behind her and just beating the crap out of her, but practice was over and she wasn't going to spend one more second away from Brittany no matter how pissed off she was.

Santana decided ignoring Quinn all together would be the best thing to do, but now she was incredibly paranoid. She glanced around at all of her fellow teammates and she wondered if they believed the bitchy blonde girl. It could just be her imagination but it felt like there were dozens of eyes staring at her, judging her. Santana had to get out of there.

She slung her cheering bag over her shoulder and walked quickly off of the field and not until she was back on the streets did she let herself breathe a sigh of relief. On the way back she only stopped a moment to throw on her jacket before speed walking back to Brittany.

Santana pushed thoughts about Quinn from her mind and let Brittany take over it. She couldn't wait to be back with the other woman now that some of the feelings were out in the open finally. Truthfully, she had no idea that the blonde had felt that way about her. In her mind she had convinced herself that Brittany just saw her as a really good friend and that was it, but man, was she wrong apparently.

Santana walked up the stairs to their dorm and took a calming breath. All day she had waited for the moment to be back with Brittany, but now that she was actually here she was panicking a little bit.

What if she changed her mind? What if they had nothing to talk about and it was just really awkward and Brittany didn't want to actually be her girlfriend but was just into sweet lady kisses and wanted to keep everything a secret and...and...and...?

All these thoughts and more swirled around in the Latina's head and she had to rest her forehead on the cool wood of the door to ground herself. She knew in her mind that she was being ridiculous, but did she really know that?

There was no sense in just waiting out here in the cold in her cheering uniform. She probably looked pretty silly standing there with her head on the door. Squaring her shoulders and steeling her confidence, Santana unlocked the door and opened it slowly.

Brittany had her head phones in and was facing away from Santana, but that's not what surprised the Latina. It was the fact that the blonde girl was dancing around the entire dorm, oblivious to the fact that Santana was standing there watching her.

She was actually really good, which was something Santana couldn't say about herself. Despite being a cheerleader, Santana had absolutely no rhythm and that was the source of much teasing on her behalf.

Abruptly, Brittany opened her eyes as she twisted around, her hair whipping around her face, and stopped dead in her tracks. She quickly removed the head phones from her ears and swept the silky hair out of her face a little embarrassedly. Santana could already see the red blush creep up her neck and into her cheeks and it brought a smile to her face.

"How long have you been standing there?" Brittany asked breathlessly, setting her ipod down on her desk and looking shyly at the Latina woman.

"I just got here. You're...really good...very graceful," Santana could have slapped herself with that idiot statement and her fumbling for words. Luckily, Brittany didn't seem to notice and all she did was grin back at her.

"So... how was practice?" Brittany asked her, seeming genuinely interested in Santana's day.

"It was good except I almost dropped Quinn," Santana decided honesty was the best policy here.

"What? How?" Brittany was really intrigued now so she flopped onto the floor, sitting cross-legged. Santana smiled at her and did the same; this girl must really like the floor.

"She called me a dyke in the middle of a lift, so I let go of her," Santana told her simply. She tried to pretend a thing like that didn't bother her anymore, but that would be a complete lie. It was easier to pretend and brush it off than face the reality of how hurtful words can be.

"That's insane! I can't believe she would say that," Brittany scooted closer to Santana and placed her hand over the Latina's in a gesture of comfort. Santana shrugged her shoulders in an attempt to play it off and said offhandedly,

"It's what I am, so whatever."

Brittany stood up quickly and walked into the bathroom; when she came back out Santana saw that she was carrying flowers, multi-colored daisies to be specific.

"I got these for you while you were at practice. They're called 'Crazy Daisies,'" Brittany paused for a moment and handed them to Santana, before continuing.

"I can see this is bothering you and I'm sure last night is still weighing on your mind. I think we need to talk about this," Brittany told her and once again, Santana was completely caught off guard by how incredibly blunt and right the blonde was.

Santana was overwhelmed with emotion as she looked down at the flowers in her hand. No one had ever gotten her flowers before. Not anyone. Not the men she had slept with, not the women she had slept with, not her 'friends', not even her parents had ever gotten her flowers. It was something so simple, yet Brittany probably had no idea how much it meant to her.

Unable to speak, Santana simply nodded her head in affirmation holding back her tears. They had to do this, but that didn't mean it was going to be easy.

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><p><strong>WOW! Over 300 reviews! You all have inspired me to update sooner than expected. I just couldn't stop writing. Every time I did I would check my e-mail and there would be like 5 more reviews. This is insane! I am so grateful to everyone who is so awesome and dedicated to this story. How can I ignore all of this great feedback? I am going to make an attempt to update weekly on this story thanks to you all who keep me going! Thank you so much! <strong>


	11. The Talk

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters as well as World of Mirth, the Galaxy Diner or the Village Cafe. _

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><p>"<em>I think we need to talk about this,"<em>

Brittany may have sounded confident, but on the inside she was terrified of what having this conversation would mean for the two of them. Obviously they both had feelings for one another, but was it really smart to be in a relationship with someone you were going to be living with the entire year?

Yet...no matter what she did, Brittany couldn't stop the giddy feeling that bubbled up through her entire being just thinking about Santana. The idea of _not_ spending the entire year in her presence was unbearable.

Brittany was so lost in her thoughts that she almost forgot that they were supposed to be discussing their...relationship? Or friendship? Or whatever they were.

Hesitantly glancing up at the Latina, relief flooded Brittany. Santana was just as nervous as she was judging from the fact that she staring rather intensely at the flowers Brittany had gotten her. Suddenly, Santana stood up and got a vase for the flowers, attempting to avoid the subject a little longer, but once she had set them on her desk there was nothing left to delay the conversation they needed to have.

Santana made her way back over and sat across from Brittany, so close that their knees were almost touching. Once again, she was overwhelmed by simply being in the presence of the other woman. She couldn't describe all of the emotions swirling through her being this close to the Latina.

How could she not have such strong feelings for this woman though? This was the person who had protected her from the drunken guy at that party, sent her father away so as not to upset her, and most important of all, saved Brittany from herself when she was too drunk to care about her own wellbeing.

No matter what bad situation was happening, Santana was always there to fix it and Brittany couldn't be more grateful. Which is why at first, Brittany had thought these feelings for her roommate were simply a result of her gratitude to the Latina, but those days of denial were long gone.

After what seemed like hours, Brittany had finally gained the courage to make eye contact with the gorgeous woman across from her despite the uncomfortable silence permeating the small room.

Santana looked equally uncomfortable about the prospect of discussing their relationship but there was something that looked awfully like relief in her dark eyes as well. Even if they decided to just be friends, at least everything would be on the table and out in the open.

After another moment of complete quiet Brittany decided that she was going to have to be the one to get the ball rolling because she couldn't take this awkward silence any longer.

"So what are we, Santana?" she asked bluntly. Santana's eyes locked onto Brittany's for the first time since they sat on the floor and it was apparent that she hadn't expected this question so soon into the "conversation."

Brittany watched as Santana swallowed hard. It was obvious that everything that had happened the last couple of months were starting to hit the Latina, but she was still trying to hold her emotions in check.

"Britt, I really don't know," Santana paused for a moment and looked down at her lap. Brittany was afraid that she would go back into her shell, but then Santana continued with a twinge of hope in her voice,

"But I know what I want us to be."

"What's that?" Brittany had an idea, well, more she hoped she knew what the other woman was going to say. She wanted to hear it from Santana. She _needed _to hear it from Santana or she would convince herself it was all in her head forever.

"I want to be with you, Brittany," Santana spoke the words just above a whisper, but glanced up to see Brittany's reaction. It had taken a lot for her to say it and the blonde knew it and all she wanted to do was to eliminate the distance between them but there was still was things that needed to be said.

Her blood was pumping in her ears yet she couldn't hear it through her mind replaying Santana's words over and over, _"I want to be with you, Brittany."_

"I want that too," the blonde heard herself say without really realizing it was leaving her lips. Once she was aware of what she had said though, relief flooded her entire being. It felt so good to reveal the truth to Santana after all of this time.

"Really? I mean-it's just- well, Kurt said you weren't...," the Latina stumbled then trailed off, unsure of herself, but Brittany knew what she was trying to say anyway despite the fact that nervousness had overtaken Santana.

"I don't know what I am or what I'm not," Brittany started a little roughly, but when she saw Santana's worried face she quickly continued,

"I do know that I like you. And I know that I've been with plenty of guys and not one of them made me feel one tenth of what I felt when I was kissing you," Brittany's heart was beating a mile a minute and she felt heat rising up her neck. She hadn't meant to reveal all of that, but it was how she felt. She had let her emotions get the best of her and she just hoped Santana wasn't weirded out now.

She let the words sink in and she realized that she hadn't even allowed her mind to completely grasp her feelings for Santana. Sure, she knew that being around the other woman made her happy, but to admit that maybe, just maybe, she could be attracted to women was something she wasn't quite ready to deal with. Truthfully, she had never really been attracted to anyone- men or women- the way she was with Santana, so why put a label on her?

Brittany chanced a glance up at Santana and saw the look of shock on her beautiful face. Had she just ruined her chances with the Latina? Santana herself had told her that she had been with lots of guys too but was it too weird for her to think of her being with guys?

A second later a small smile curved onto the lips of Santana and Brittany was able to breath deeply once again as she saw the other woman's blush at her comment.

"That's how I feel too," was all the Latina was able to say in response to Brittany's statement. Brittany couldn't contain the grin that spread across her face, not that she wanted to. Santana reached her hand out to the blonde and she gratefully took it, squeezing it gently.

The blonde looked down at their intertwined fingers resting on her knees and just relished the feeling of holding hands with Santana. It almost seemed too good to be true. How had this turned out so well? Sure it had been really hard to get these feelings out in the open, but now it just seemed silly to have waited so long when it had been right in front of their faces.

The Latina cleared the emotion from her throat after a moment and scooted closer to Brittany on the floor of the dorm so that they were sitting side by side.

"All right, just to clarify; does that mean we're officially a couple now?" Santana asked hesitantly, but Brittany's fears were long gone now.

"I'd say yes," Brittany replied, pulling Santana down, so that they were both lying on the floor face to face.

"Then, my first act as your girlfriend shall be kissing you," Santana claimed only semi-jokingly, gaining confidence already. Brittany grinned and leaned in close to the Latina's lips, but paused mere inches away.

"I second that motion," the blonde whispered and closed the gap between them. Brittany gently pressed her lips to Santana's fuller ones and let herself get lost in the feeling of kissing her girlfriend.

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><p>It was different kissing now. Kissing someone that you know likes you is an exciting thing. Not exciting in the way a first kiss is. A first kiss is full of doubt and electricity because you're doing something risky and just hoping the other person doesn't regret it later. No, kissing someone you're in a relationship with is exciting because you get to explore and discover and just take in everything about that person which was what Santana was doing now.<p>

Brittany may have initiated the kiss but Santana was the one who was intensifying it. After a few small, sweet kisses, the Latina softly laid Brittany on her back so that she was now half on top of the blonde, her left leg hooked around Brittany's, her hand resting seductively on the other woman's neck.

Santana deepened the kiss even further by slowly coaxing Brittany's lips apart with her tongue. For a moment she had thought that maybe she had gone too fast when the blonde paused, but then Brittany reached up and pulled Santana's ponytail down, lacing her fingers through her dark hair and returned the gesture with fervor.

She had never told anyone, but she loved it when people ran their fingers through her hair. It made her whole body tingle and she went weak when Brittany did that. It was started getting a little too hot in that dorm, so she slowed the kiss a little and eventually pulled away gently. As bad as she wanted Brittany and as hard as it was for her to stop, Santana wasn't going to risk this minute's old relationship by moving too quickly.

Brittany opened her eyes and looked up at the Latina quizzically as Santana lifted herself up on her arms to put some distance between them, her dark hair creating a curtain around them.

"Everything okay?" the blonde asked and those blue eyes almost made her throw caution to the wind and make love to her right then and there but they couldn't rush this and if they kept kissing like that Santana couldn't promise she would be able to control herself.

Then a thought occurred to Santana: Brittany had never been with a woman before... in any way. She kept her eyes locked onto the blonde's as her mind raced. What if she changed her mind? What if they did have sex and she got weirded out? What if she really was straight? She didn't seem grossed out now...

Santana forced her thoughts into submission, telling herself that this is why they weren't ready for that step. It was way too soon and they would cross that bridge when they got to it, but now really wasn't the time.

Once she was confident that she had gotten her mind in check, Santana smiled down at Brittany and placed a sweet, final kiss on her lips.

"Everything is great. Though, as much as I am enjoying this, I haven't eaten anything since before cheering practice so-," Santana started, but was cut off when Brittany sat up quickly, taking the Latina with her.

"Let's go on a lunch date!" Brittany suggested excitedly, already standing up and pulling Santana up by her hand. That warm feeling spread through her chest again at Brittany's idea of going on a "date."

"All right, let me just hop in the shower. I need to get this uniform off. I feel all sweaty and gross from cheering practice and I want to look nice for our first date," Santana told her confidently, while grabbing her shower caddy, some clean clothes and a towel, checking Brittany's reaction out of the corner of her eye.

The blonde's broad smile was huge but Santana could see the pink flush her cheeks when Santana mentioned taking her clothes off. Clearing her throat Brittany tried to change the subject.

"I thought you tasted a little salty," she teased, and Santana almost choked at that statement. Brittany was so innocent that she probably didn't realize how dirty those words sounded.

Unable to form any other coherent words Santana simply walked into the bathroom and shut the door. She needed a cold shower bad after this morning.

* * *

><p>"I'm thinking the Village Café or the Galaxy Diner. The Village Cafe is closer but the Galaxy Diner has black hole pancakes!" Brittany was telling Santana. She had been talking a mile a minute ever since the Latina had stepped out of the shower. To say she was excited about this "date" was an understatement.<p>

"What are 'black hole pancakes'?" Santana asked, helping Brittany into her jacket before grabbing her own.

Brittany smiled at Santana's chivalry and could hardly believe that they were actually a couple now. As they walked out of their dorm, Brittany reached for the other woman's hand automatically, but Santana jerked away quickly.

Hurt coursed through the blonde at this small act. Why would she do that? How could Santana be so affectionate inside their dorm and then so distant outside? Brittany was just about to say something when she noticed the source of Santana's discomfort.

Quinn was making her way towards them, climbing the stairs with her head down, oblivious to their presence.

From the look on Santana's face, it seemed like she was completely content to just ignore her and keep walking, but Brittany wasn't okay with that, not after what Quinn had said.

Santana apparently read that from her face and grabbed Brittany's arm, pulling her quickly down the stairs and past Quinn.

As they passed the blonde cheerleader, Brittany was surprised that she didn't even notice either of them. Her head was down and she was walking quickly back to her dorm, apparently too distracted to even insult them.

Something told her that she should go and talk to Quinn but she just couldn't bring herself to leave Santana. Not after everything that had happened today.

"I'm thinking black hole pancakes. What about you?" Brittany asked, trying to change the subject and draw Santana's thoughts away from Quinn.

After the Latina had pulled her hand away the first time, Brittany had lost a little confidence but she decided to make a second attempt. Cautiously, she slid her fingers between Santana's until they were laced together completely.

Santana glanced quickly down at their hands and for a second Brittany thought she would pull away again, but she didn't. In fact, she squeezed her hand tightly and smiled up at the blonde, showing off her perfect teeth.

"Pancakes sound great," the Latina affirmed.

"Not just pancakes..._black hole_ pancakes," Brittany corrected and tugged Santana faster towards their first date.

* * *

><p>"Genius. Absolutely genius," Santana remarked with awe, shaking her head slowly in disbelief.<p>

"I know, right? I mean who would have thought to put an Oreo in the middle of a pancake? I knew you would like it!" Brittany replied excitedly and Santana couldn't stop staring at her.

Strands of her gold hair kept falling in front of her eyes and she had this adorable habit of trying to blow them out of her face to no avail. Santana's fingers itched to reach over and tuck the rogue hairs behind her cute ears, but she controlled herself since they were in public.

"They were delicious. I feel like I have to run a few miles to burn them off now though," Santana joked, playfully patting her flat stomach.

She saw Brittany roll her eyes over exaggeratedly across from her and give her a doubtful look before replying,

"Please. You're gorgeous. You probably already ran like five miles today. I doubt these two pancakes are going to ruin your perfect abs anyway," Brittany teased, daring Santana to deny it.

"I only ran three miles this morning before cheering practice," Santana claimed mock-defensively. Brittany laughed and Santana loved the way her nose crinkled just slightly when she thought something was funny.

Sitting there with Brittany made Santana realize how good it felt to be with someone like her. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she had smiled this much; she didn't even smile this much during cheering competitions.

She was happy and it was a strange feeling. Being with Brittany felt so effortless and everything about her was perfect. At first Santana had been nervous about showing affection in public, but one look at Brittany made all her worries disappear. It also helped that she had seen other gay couples in Richmond since she'd been living here and it seemed like no one really cared. Santana had heard some not so nice things about Virginia but she guessed the city must be a little bit more liberal than the rest of this southern state.

"Oh yea, is it okay if Kurt and Blaine visit during fall break?" Brittany's voice pulled her out of her reverie.

"Of course. I feel bad that they are driving this much to come see us though. We should make a trip to see them too," Santana replied, excited at the idea of seeing her new friends again.

"Awesome. They want to go on a double date with us," Brittany said in a rush and then she looked up suddenly, realizing she had maybe said too much.

Santana had no idea what could have caused her to react then her brain caught up and smiled at the blonde. She had told Kurt and Blaine about them and Brittany was worried that she would be mad at her.

"That sounds like a lot of fun," Santana assured her, trying to put her mind at ease. Just as she was about to continue the waiter arrived at their table with the check. Santana reached for it out of instinct, but Brittany was too fast for her.

"My turn," she said simply with a wink at Santana, knowing that it was driving the Latina crazy not being able to pay.

"Thanks but I get to buy you Dr. Pepper later," Santana insisted as Brittany left the cash on the table and stood up.

"Deal," Brittany agreed with a grin.

"Where to next?" Santana asked, holding the door to the restaurant open for Brittany. Walking out after her, Santana hooked her arm around hers and started walking down the sidewalk.

"Well, this was my idea so now it's your turn," Brittany answered playfully. Santana thought hard while they walked slowly down the sidewalk then she spotted something.

"How about we stop in here?" she suggested, pointing to a brightly colored store ahead of them. Brittany's eyes followed where Santana was pointing and her eyes lit up.

"'World of Mirth'? Isn't that a toy store?" Brittany asked, practically bouncing on her heels in enthusiasm. She had already started dragging Santana in that direction and she laughed at her childish antics.

"I think so. Do you just _walk_ anywhere?" Santana asked sarcastically when they were at the store.

"Nope!" Brittany exclaimed, almost tearing the door off its hinges and all Santana could do was shake her head in amusement.

* * *

><p>After they had gone through almost every store on the way back from the restaurant, it was actually starting to get dark. Brittany glanced sideways at Santana and couldn't stop the rush of affection that flowed through her.<p>

The Latina was carrying the lone shopping bag they had accumulated which held a stuffed teddy bear for Brittany from the toy store and a black and white scarf Santana had found at a vintage clothing store. Her other hand held Brittany's tightly; after only one day it already seemed natural.

Brittany stared at Santana's profile and once again familiarized herself with the Latina's features, as if she could ever forget. She was just as beautiful as ever with her cheeks tinged pink from the cold and her dark hair being tousled by the wind.

The urge to kiss her swept through Brittany and she wasn't going to ignore it this time. She gently pulled Santana towards her and kissed the unsuspecting Latina full on the lips quickly before continuing, leaving her stunned there for a moment.

Santana caught up and slipped her hand back into Brittany's, not even trying to suppress the grin on her face.

They had gotten home later than they had planned but neither of them really minded. After all, they had just spent almost the entire day together and it had been absolutely perfect.

Brittany couldn't deny that she was a tad bit tired though. They had done a lot of walking and by the time they made inside the dorm all she wanted to do was fall into bed and that's what she did.

It was silent for a few minutes so Brittany was about to crack open her eyes to see what Santana was up to when she felt the bed sink just slightly with added weight. Brittany opened her eyes completely and saw the Hispanic woman sitting next to her already in her pajamas.

Brittany took in Santana's appearance and felt her heart speed up as she let her eyes travel over her. Santana was wearing simple black and white striped flannel bottoms and a snug gray tank top.

It felt like heat was radiating from every part of Brittany, so she quickly stood up and got ready for bed in the bathroom in hopes her dirty thoughts would cease. Once she finished brushing her teeth and she was sure she could handle being in the same room with Santana without jumping her, Brittany made her way back into their room.

Santana was already in her bunk, lying on her side facing Brittany. The blonde woman flipped off the lights and made to climb up to her bunk, but Santana's voice stopped her short.

"Britt...will you sleep with me? I don't mean- you know- I just mean-shit- uh-," she stuttered, flustered from her slip up and Brittany could picture her embarrassment in the dark. The truth was, Brittany had wanted to sleep in the same bed with her but didn't want to rush things in case Santana wasn't okay with that.

"Sure," she cut her off, stepping off the ladder and making her way to the side of Santana's bed and sitting on the edge at first. Then she slung her feet onto the bed and slid them under the covers.

Santana pulled the covers up and around both them and Brittany saw her retract her arm to give her some space, but she would have none of that.

Brittany reached behind her and gently took Santana's wrist, pulling the Latina's arm around her. Feeling Santana's uncertainty, Brittany backed up closer to her so that their bodies were completely touching and she only after the other woman had relaxed did she allow herself to succumb to sleep.

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><p><strong>Glee is back and so am I. Enjoy!<strong>


	12. Trouble Next Door

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

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><p>Brittany wished more than anything that time would just stop. She and Santana had spent an amazing Sunday in their pajamas, curled up in bed cuddling and watching crappy TV shows. But now it was Monday morning and the loud blaring of the alarm clock was telling her that is was time to go to class.<p>

Attempting to delay the inevitable, she snuggled deeper into Santana's warm neck and simply breathed in her scent. The only words that came to mind to describe it were 'warm' and 'home' but warm isn't really a smell and everyone's home smells different. It was just a unique scent to Santana and it was intoxicating, so Brittany decided not to think about it too much.

The alarm clock incessantly continued its obnoxious wake up call, indifferent to Brittany's personal paradise. She groaned sleepily in frustration and slowly slid her leg over the side of the bed and onto the floor. Dragging herself out of the bed, Brittany shuffled her feet across the room to her desk and slammed her hand down harshly on the alarm to shut it off.

"G'mornin," Santana's voice whispered from the bed, raspy from sleep. Brittany turned to the Latina and smiled affectionately at her new girlfriend. She was so beautiful laying there tangled in the blankets, her hair tousled in every direction.

It felt so right to be with Santana. Just being close to her made everything okay and Brittany couldn't help but feel lucky to finally be with her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up," she apologized, making her way back over to the bed. The sun was spilling through the sole window in the room, illuminating both of them and shimmering on Santana's coffee-colored skin.

"Hmm, I get to see you before you go to class though," Santana mumbled while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Brittany perched on the bottom bunk next to the other woman and tenderly combed her fingers through the wild mane of Santana's hair. It was strange being awake before the Latina but for once she didn't have cheering practice.

Santana took the hand that Brittany was running through her hair and brought it to her lips, placing a small kiss on her palm. The blonde could have melted right there, that small gesture made chills run up her arm and caused her heart to stop mid beat. Did Santana realize how hard she was making it for her to go to class?

"You have to go or you're going to be late," the Latina told her, releasing her hand.

"Do I have to?" Brittany whined dramatically, but she already knew the answer. She had to go to class. She had to keep her grades up. Stupid education.

"Yes, you do. I have to get up soon too. I've got English in an hour," Santana reminded her, sitting up slowly and resting her back against the wall and attempting in vain to smooth her hair down with her hands.

"Ugggh. Fine," Brittany over exaggeratedly sighed. She stood up and started getting ready for class, moving as slow as humanly possible, drawing out the time she was with Santana.

Without leaving the room she slipped her pajama bottoms off so that she was only in her underwear and a t-shirt. From behind her she could hear, Santana shift on the bed and she knew that the Latina was watching her. A surge of pleasure ran through her at the knowledge that Santana was staring, but she wasn't cruel so Brittany slipped a pair of skinny jeans on quickly. Then she did something really mean; she made sure she was completely turned around before removing her baggy shirt. A small squeak came from the bed and Brittany had to fight the urge to look back at the Latina, but she smiled to herself at Santana's reaction.

* * *

><p>Santana had to be dreaming. Or insane. Either way she felt like she was having a heart attack. She couldn't breathe and she was pretty sure she was paralyzed.<p>

Brittany was topless; right in front of her. Her pale skin was bare and the morning air was creating goose bumps on the exposed flesh. Santana fantasized about getting up and running her hands over Brittany's back to warm her up, but movement had become impossible.

All she could see was the blonde woman's back, but it was knowledge that there was nothing separating them but air that was making her body react the way it was. It made a shiver run up her spine and her mouth go dry at the thought of the part of Brittany that was facing away from her.

As soon as it began it was over. Brittany threw a black sports bra on and a grey shirt that draped seductively off one shoulder. She continued getting her things together for class and Santana never took her eyes off her. Finally, her vocal chords obeyed her and she choked out,

"You are such a tease."

Brittany turned and met her eyes a playful smile already gracing her lips. Why was it so hard to breathe when this woman looked at her like that? Santana really wanted to know.

"I've got to go to class. I'll see you later," Brittany giving her that smile again before planting a kiss on her frozen lips and walking out the door.

Santana felt the air rush back into her lungs. Closing her eyes in an attempt to calm her racing heart, she steadied her breathing and got out of bed.

She was about to go into the bathroom when she heard something through the door. At first she couldn't discern what it was, but after a few moments it became clear that someone was being sick. Debating for a minute Santana paused before gently knocking on the door and calling,

"You okay in there?"

A few seconds passed before she heard the toilet flush and the door unlock. Standing there was Quinn, looking absolutely busted so Santana assumed she was hung over or something.

"What the hell do you want?" Quinn hissed, obviously not in the mood to see Santana either.

"I want to take a shower. Could you hurry it up?" Santana snapped right back. Once she had seen that it wasn't Mercedes being sick, she had stopped caring.

"Fuck you," Quinn growled, slamming the door in the Latina's face. Despite this, Santana heard the other woman vacate the bathroom a few minutes later, so she claimed it before anyone walked back in.

After a quick shower Santana dressed and got ready for class herself. Once she was done she trudged the five blocks to her English class alone.

It was almost impossible to pay attention to class after the events of the morning and the clock on the wall seemed to be moving in slow motion. Santana would look up at it and to her disbelief only two minutes would have passed.

She wanted to be back with Brittany so bad. That was how Santana knew that this relationship was serious. Not once had she _needed _to be with someone the way she needed to be with Brittany.

After what felt like eternity English was over and it was on to French. When she was in high school she had wanted to take Spanish but her mom said it wasn't fair since they were Puerto Rican and more fluent than the teachers. So, French seemed the next best thing; her mom pushed for Latin claiming it would help with her SAT's but Santana refused to learn a dead language.

She actually did pretty well in French since it was similar in a lot of ways to Spanish, both being Romance languages. That didn't make class go any faster today though.

"ça va?" Santana was snapped out of her day dreaming by the professor, Ms. Pillsbury, a quiet red headed woman with very large doe-like eyes.

"Bien," she quickly answered, sitting up and making another attempt to pay attention. Ms. Pillsbury seemed content with that response and continued with the lecture while Santana sighed in relief after glancing at the clock: only ten more minutes.

Just as she was about to drop back into her daydreaming she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Discreetly Santana pulled it out and glanced down at the small screen that read, "**1 New Message from Brittany**." Glancing around and seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she tapped on the screen to open the message and read it to herself.

"**Hey Gorgeous. Dance finished early. Meet you outside of Hibbs in 10**."

Excitement coursed through and she glanced at the clock for the millionth time after stuffing her phone back in the front pocket of her jeans. Hibbs was the building she was in now and she couldn't help but feel special that Brittany would walk all this way to meet her after class.

Those ten minutes couldn't have taken longer, but finally Ms. Pillsbury released them and Santana didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

><p>Brittany shivered as she leaned against the cool concrete of the Hibbs building, looking at her phone every couple of minutes to check the time and to see if Santana had texted her back. She hadn't had a chance to take a shower after dance class, so the combination of sweat and chilly fall wind made it feel colder than it actually was.<p>

All around her students were milling around, some obviously on their way somewhere, others just killing time between classes. A few couples walked hand in hand on their way to some sanctuary from the cold and it only made Brittany more impatient to be back with Santana.

The front door of Hibbs opened and Brittany looked up like she did every time it had opened since she had been standing there. This time she was rewarded with the sight of her beautiful girlfriend. Brittany watched as Santana glanced around and eventually found her, a bright smile appearing on her face.

Brittany walked up to her and pulled her into a tight hug. Not caring who was watching she placed a sweet, chaste kiss to Santana's lips before taking her hand and leading them both back to the dorms.

"How was class?" Brittany asked her, content to finally be in Santana's presence again.

"Unbearably long. I thought it would never end," the Latina replied and Brittany felt Santana squeeze her hand.

"You're shivering," Santana stated, taking her hand out of the blonde's and wrapping it around her instead. The Latina rubbed her hand up and down the Brittany's arm in a futile attempt to warm her up.

"I'll be okay. I'm just a little sweaty from dance class. It's making me a little chilly," Brittany assured her but made no move to break the intimate contact. It felt good being this close to Santana and if the other woman didn't mind being this close in public then neither did she.

Being wrapped up in each other's arms forced them to walk slower but neither was complaining, and they eventually made it out of the cold and back in their dorm. Brittany began peeling off all the layers of warm clothes and watched as Santana did the same. Richmond, Virginia had really strange weather. From what Brittany had heard, in autumn it could be 80 degrees one day and snowing the next then perfectly normal at 60 degrees or so. Today was one of the chillier days and after she had removed her jacket all she wanted to do was have a hot shower.

"I think I'm gonna hop in the shower," Brittany informed the Latina while gathering the things she needed. She was about to head into the bathroom when Santana swept her into her arms and lowered her head in a much needed kiss. When the dark haired woman pulled away after a few seconds she revealed breathlessly,

"I've wanted to do that all day."

Brittany grinned and bit her lip in response. Santana made her knees weak and she had thought about kissing her all day too.

Wordlessly, she gave the other woman a final peck on the lips before continuing to the bathroom. Just as she opened the door, she froze when she noticed someone was already in there.

Quinn was there, sitting on the floor still in pajamas, streaks on her face betraying earlier tears. The other blonde looked up and glared miserably up at Brittany.

"Something wr-," Santana must have seen her pause in the doorway because her face appeared in the mirror and she cut herself off when she saw Quinn on the floor.

"Hey lesbos," Quinn muttered bitterly at the both of them. Brittany felt Santana take a step forward, but she stopped her with a look.

"Give us a minute?" Brittany asked Santana. The Latina didn't look happy about leaving Brittany with Quinn, but she slowly backed out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her quietly.

"We need to talk," Brittany demanded in the calmest voice she could muster, but her blue eyes were like ice.

Quinn continued to glare daggers at her, she was obviously not in the mood for this and she had obviously tried to wipe the tear stains from her face when the other blonde wasn't looking. Brittany slid to the floor, setting down her shower supplies, and hugging her knees to her chest. For a few seconds Brittany just stared at Quinn trying to figure out what her deal was.

Something was obviously going on with her and Brittany told herself that she shouldn't care. Quinn was a mega bigoted bitch and didn't deserve the time of day, but it didn't seem right not to at least try and help her.

The cheerleader looked pissed but didn't say anything and simply kept staring Brittany down.

"What do you want?" Quinn asked aggressively after a while.

"You need to stop this, Quinn," Brittany told her seriously and the other blonde tilted her head in mock confusion.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the cheerleader told her unconvincingly, piercing Brittany with her intense greenish hazel eyes.

"Yes, you do. Santana and I haven't done anything to you to deserve this," Brittany was really trying to be the bigger person here but it wasn't always easy when dealing with someone as stubborn as Quinn. Not to mention, she really wanted to take her shower and get back to Santana. She really didn't want to live next door to someone who was going to make life miserable for her and Santana though either.

"Actually, you're _girlfriend_ dropped me the other day during cheering practice. I could have broken my leg," Quinn voice was getting louder and higher pitched in her defensiveness. As much as Brittany wanted to smack her condescending face right off, she listened and waited until Quinn finished before replying.

"I know she dropped you. She dropped you because you called her a 'dyke' so you kinda deserved it. And, I don't know what's going on with you, but you are obviously going through some stuff right now. It's none of my business but whatever it is, don't take it out on Santana," Brittany finished, never breaking eye contact with Quinn. All she wanted was for Santana to not be miserable every time she went to cheering practice.

Judging from the other blonde girl's face, her façade was starting to crack and Brittany knew whatever was going on was serious. A lone tear streaked silently down Quinn's face causing Brittany to realize now wasn't the time to get revenge.

"I know you hate us but if there is something you need to talk about... I know you don't believe me but... I won't judge you," Brittany continued sincerely when it was apparent Quinn wasn't going to say anything. The other woman looked away and seemed to be considering everything Brittany had said.

Quinn angrily brushed the tear from her face and stood up, staring down at Brittany.

"You don't know anything about me," and with that Quinn walked out of the bathroom leaving Brittany on the cold tile just as confused as ever.

* * *

><p>Santana sat on the chair at her desk, staring impatiently at the door to the bathroom. The water had cut on a few minutes ago, so she assumed Brittany had said something to Quinn to get her to leave. The blonde cheerleader's behavior towards them had been getting worse and Santana had no idea what was going on. There was definitely something happening with Quinn and she knew she shouldn't be curious, but she couldn't help it.<p>

The water cut off in the bathroom and about five minutes later Brittany walked out, dressed and towel drying her long hair. Santana temporarily forgot about everything with Quinn when she saw Brittany, beads of water trailing down her hair and onto her pale neck. She mentally shook herself and focused on the issue of Quinn.

"What'd you guys talk about?" Santana asked, trying to sound only mildly interested, but the eagerness in her voice betrayed her intent.

"I just told her to stop bothering you," Brittany replied with a shrug of her shoulders. She dropped the towel in the dirty clothes hamper in the corner of the room and walked back over to Santana, hopping up on the desk in front of her.

Santana looked up at the blonde woman in front of her and took Brittany's hand in hers, gently stroking the back of it with her thumb.

There was something bothering her; her usually bright blue eyes were a darker shade and tinged with grey. She was worried about Brittany so she stood to have a better look at her eyes. With her standing and Brittany sitting on the desk, Santana was only slightly taller than her so she had to tilt her head down a little to make eye contact. Santana hated the idea that something or someone was making this amazing woman unhappy.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did Quinn say something to you?" Santana asked gently, already prepared to beat the shit out of Quinn if she had to. If that bitch had said something to Brittany...

"No. It's what she didn't say," Brittany began, her eyes were clouded with thought and Santana was even more curious about what went on in that bathroom.

"I think she's going through a really hard time right now. We need to look out for her... no matter how mean she is," Brittany continued staring straight into Santana's eyes, as if seeing whether the Latina would refuse.

It was obvious that Brittany was dead serious and didn't really want to say anything else, so Santana understood. If being nice to Quinn would make the blonde woman happy then of course she would do it. No questions asked.

"Okay," Santana promised simply. Brittany gave her a small smile and it warmed Santana's heart to see it again.

The blonde suddenly hooked her legs around Santana's waist and pulled her body flush against her in a tight hug. For a moment, she was too shocked to react, but then she relaxed into the embrace and wrapped her arms around Brittany's shoulders.

The blonde woman rested her head on Santana's chest and whispered,

"I love you, Santana."

The Latina's ears just barely caught the words, but she did. Frozen in place, she was sure Brittany could hear the pounding of her heart and her erratic breathing. Words were impossible to form. Even if she could speak, what would she say? Brittany loved her! _Brittany loved her. _Brittany **loved** her. Did she love Brittany back? It was too soon. How could she possibly love someone after only meeting them a few months ago?

"You don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know," Brittany spoke again, placing a soft kiss on the Latina's exposed neck.

That's when Santana realized something. She did love Brittany. She loved everything about this woman. The way she was so much smarter than everyone gave her credit for. The way she was so forgiving. The way she stood up for what she believed in. The way she wore her heart on her sleeve. And yes, the way she made her feel.

No one had ever made her heart beat out of her chest and then stop it completely with just one look. She had never felt like she needed to be someone every second of every day. No one had made her feel that way until Brittany.

"I love you too, Brittany," Santana whispered confidently back, squeezing the blonde woman tighter.

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><p><strong>Wow! Almost 400 reviews already! Thank you so much to everyone who is still sticking with me. I won't give up on this story as long as there are people reading it. Anyway, I was so inspired by last night's episode that I had to write this chapter immediately. I hope you enjoy it!<strong>

**~ And yes! Black hole pancakes do exist and they are freaking delicious! ~**


	13. Lesbian Gold

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

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><p>Sweat was glistening on Santana's skin; strands of dark hair were falling out of her pony tail and clinging to her neck. She controlled the rhythm of her breaths as she jogged down the last few blocks to the dorm. Her heart was racing in the strain of running five miles, but it felt good to move. Just because she was on fall break didn't mean she was going to slack off on her exercise routine.<p>

Maintaining her pace all the way up to the final block she finally slowed down to a walk to cool down her overworked muscles. She couldn't count the number times she had gotten leg cramps from forgetting to cool down or stretch after a long run.

As she approached her room, Santana slid her key into the slot and very quietly pushed the door open. It was still really early and she didn't want to wake Brittany. The blonde had been getting less and less sleep as mid-terms neared, coming home after work and staying up late to study.

Santana tip-toed to her dresser and picked out some clothes to wear, only pausing a moment to check that Brittany was still peacefully asleep. She walked into the bathroom and took one last glance back at her beautiful girlfriend before closing the door gently.

Most people liked hot showers, but after a morning run Santana wanted nothing more than a cold shower to cool her feverish skin. For a long time she just let the water run over, but eventually she was ready to step out.

She slipped on some dark skinny jeans and a loose-fitting, white shirt. Poking her head out of the bathroom, Santana saw that Brittany was still dead asleep so she slipped into the room silently.

After towel drying her hair, Santana grabbed her laptop and perched on the edge of the bunk she and Brittany shared. Fall break had officially started yesterday after her last class, but if they were going to be spending the next three days entirely with Kurt and Blaine then she needed to at least get a little homework done.

The blonde snuggled deeper into the pillow beside her and Santana smiled affectionately down at her.

The last couple of weeks had been absolutely perfect. That's the only way Santana could describe it. After they had admitted that they loved each other, everything seemed to fall into place. Not to mention, they were practically inseparable; if Santana got out of class early she would go meet Brittany at hers and vice versa.

This was Santana's routine. She would get up, shower, and just sit and watch Brittany sleep. Every time Santana thought she had memorized Brittany's face she would find another rogue freckle on her chin or some other beautiful detail she had previously missed. Sometimes Brittany would shift in her sleep and her hair would fall into her face, impeding Santana's view but she would gently push them aside.

As Santana tried to do a little homework, she felt like she was being watched. Glancing down, she was met with a pair of sleepy blue eyes and a warm smile. The Latina leaned over and placed a good morning kiss on Brittany's upturned lips.

"Sleep well?" Santana asked as she pulled away, continuing to hover over the blonde.

"Mhmm, yes, very well. I wish we had a bigger bed though" Brittany replied, her voice strained from lack of use.

"Me too, beautiful. Me too," Santana agreed, leaning down to kiss her again when Brittany's phone rang.

Santana groaned in frustration as Brittany slid past her and answered her phone. She listened as the blonde talked to Kurt and inferred that he and Blaine had just gotten off the interstate.

She continued to type out a few more lines on her keyboard as Brittany rushed to get ready. Once she was all done, she rushed out the door and to help direct them to a parking spot. A few minutes later Brittany stuck her head through the door.

"They're here!" Brittany called from the front door. Santana glanced up from her computer and grinned at the suddenly very hyper blonde.

"All right. Give me two seconds," she replied, saving the paper she was working on and shutting her computer.

"1...2...Now come on!" Brittany whined as her head bounced impatiently up and down in the doorway, her long, blonde hair swishing from side to side. Santana sarcastically rolled her eyes but the smile never left her face; it hardly ever did now that she and Brittany were together.

Brittany's bouncing was getting more incessant so Santana decided to stop keeping her waiting. She stood up and grabbed her black jacket and threw on the scarf she had bought on their first day as an official couple. Pulling on some black boots, Santana stood and checked her hair in the mirror. She had opted to keep her long, dark hair loose, letting it cascade down her shoulders in waves.

Honestly, she was just as excited as Brittany to see Kurt and Blaine again. It had been a little less than two months since she had seen those two, but so much had happened since then. Santana felt a little in debt to them, especially Kurt, who was really the one who encouraged her to open up to Brittany. He wasn't the sole reason why she and the blonde woman were together, but he definitely helped.

Santana turned to lock the door after stepping out of the dorm before Brittany grabbed her hand and yanked her out onto the sidewalk. About two blocks ahead of them Santana could make out the familiar giant Escalade and walking towards them was none other than Kurt and Blaine.

Unlike the last time Kurt and Blaine visited, Brittany actually stayed with her, their hands firmly locked on one another's. Only once they were mere yards away did Brittany release her hand to hug her best friend.

"Kurt! I've missed my unicorn!" the blonde woman practically yelled in his ear as she squeezed him to death.

"Britt, I... can't... breathe," he choked and Brittany let him go, allowing his lungs to expand properly.

"Blaine! Why did you let him bring the Escalade again?" Brittany jokingly chastised him, shaking her head in disbelief. It was a miracle it hadn't been stolen the first time they came to visit now he was just pushing his luck.

"Ah, well, you know. It gets such good gas mileage," Blaine replied sarcastically, causing Brittany to giggle in response while bringing him into a friendly hug.

Kurt smirked conspiratorially at Santana while Brittany and Blaine continued their banter. She couldn't help but smile back as he brought her into a tight hug, and then led her a few steps away from the other two.

"So...," he began slowly, a playful glint in his eyes. Santana folded her arms and raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for him to continue. This could go on forever so she decided to just say what he wanted to hear.

"Ok, you were right. Happy?" Santana relented, shaking her head slowly in mock exasperation. In reality, she was truly grateful for everything he had done for her and Brittany.

"Yes I am. Are you?" he asked her seriously, tilting his head to the side and searching her face. Santana was touched by his concern for her; after all, they had only met once before.

"I am...," she paused, meeting Kurt's eyes and debating how much to say to him. She glanced over her shoulder at Brittany and saw that she and Blaine were still talking amiably, the familiar warmth spread through her chest which she now recognized as affection. Kurt seemed to have realized that she had more to say, so he remained silence.

"This is so new for me, Kurt. I've never been with someone I actually love...," once again she trailed off, unsure about how much she should say to Brittany's best friend.

"But...," Kurt seemed to have sensed, rightly, that Santana still had something she needed to get off of her chest. He was so perceptive and it wasn't always a good attribute.

"...But, I'm afraid I'm going to do something to screw it up. I've never been in a relationship that's lasted this long. That should tell you something about the kind of relationships I've been in," Santana divulged her fears to Kurt, knowing that he wouldn't judge her. Instead, he merely looked straight into her eyes; his were a brighter shade than Brittany's but not nearly as deep as hers.

"Santana, everyone screws up in relationships, but if you both love each other, like it sounds like you do, then it always works itself out in the end," Kurt told her, taking her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze.

* * *

><p>Every once in a while Brittany would glance over at Kurt and Santana. She couldn't see her girlfriend's face but she could see Kurt's and she was watching his expression to try and judge the tone of the conversation. At first it just seemed they were joking around, but after a while Kurt's blemish free face turned somber.<p>

"I wonder what they're talking about," Blaine stated, when he followed the line of her sight.

"I don't know, but I think it's time to break it up," Brittany suggested playfully to which Blaine agreed readily.

Brittany silently crept up behind Santana and wrapped her arms around her, causing the Latina to jump slightly. Almost instantaneously Santana relaxed into her arms, sliding her hands over her own.

"She's mine, Kurt. Back off," Brittany threatened jokingly, tightening her hold on the dark haired woman in front of her. She was a few inches taller than Santana, so she could comfortably rest her chin on her shoulder.

"No offense to Santana, but ew," Kurt replied, his nose crinkling in mock disgust. Blaine snaked his arm around his waist and planted a tender kiss on his pale forehead.

"No offense to Blaine, but ew," Brittany shot back with a smirk at their public display of affection.

"Okay, let's try to be civil," Blaine mediated sarcastically.

"Agreed. Now, I'm starving. I want to try these mystical black hole pancakes everyone keeps talking about," Kurt announced dramatically, so they decided on the Galaxy Diner.

Santana made to grab Brittany's hand but the blonde woman was too quick for her and hooked arms with Kurt. When she was sure that Santana was deep in conversation with Blaine and out of ear shot ahead of them, she hissed,

"What did you guys talk about?"

Kurt glanced at her out of the corner of his eye while he kept Santana and Blaine in his sights.

"You struck lesbian gold," Kurt whispered with the cockiest smirk she had ever seen on his face. Brittany had to hold back a laugh at this odd statement, failing and letting out a snort causing Santana to glance back at them questioningly.

Once the Latina had turned back around, Brittany grabbed Kurt's arm in tightly and glared at him, all business now.

"What-did-you-guys-talk-about?" she enunciated every word, to make sure Kurt understood how serious she was, which wasn't all that much, but she really did want to know.

"Ouch, geez, we just talked about how much she loves you," he replied and she released him immediately in shock. Even thought he was rubbing his arm and pretending to be hurt, she knew she hadn't grabbed him that hard and he was just being dramatic.

"Really?" Brittany knew that Santana loved her, but it was kind of nice that she wasn't scared of revealing it. He merely flashed that cocky grin of his again and skipped up to Blaine. Santana dropped back to her and slid her arm around her waist, pulling Brittany tight to her side.

"No more secrets!" Blaine declared suddenly, and they all let out relieved laughter. The rest of the trip to the diner as well as lunch was all about catching up on the last two months that they were all apart. It was nice to just sit and relax with friends, something Santana was not familiar with.

Once they were finished, they all sat around the table comfortably full after having eaten pancakes and more fried Oreos than was probably healthy.

"Where to next, ladies?" Blaine asked, finishing off his coffee then looking expectantly at Santana and Brittany who then looked at each other.

Brittany remembered a conversation they had when Kurt and Blaine had visited last time and got an idea.

* * *

><p>After they had left the diner, Brittany had led them down Harrison Street and Santana honestly had no clue as to where they were going and the blonde refused to tell any of them.<p>

It wasn't until they reached the Grace Street Theater that Santana realized what Brittany was up to. She froze when she saw the sign and looked around at the rest of them in a panic. Kurt and Blaine looked absolutely thrilled and she was pretty sure that one of them had squealed.

They approached the door to the theater and Blaine held the door open for all of them. Brittany led them down the aisle and up to the stage where a beautiful baby grand piano stood. She left them for a moment and lights flashed on, illuminating the stage.

"If I recall correctly, someone promised me a song," Brittany's voice traveled through the darkness and then she stepped into the light with the rest of them, revealing a smirk.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Santana pretended to be ignorant, but nobody was going to let her get away with it.

"No, I definitely remember Santana saying she would sing us all something," Kurt agreed with Brittany, turning his expectant blue eyes on her. She mentally cursed all of them, but looked to Blaine for help none the less. Her eyes pleaded with him to save her from the humiliation of having to sing alone in front of all of them. It had been months since she had sung anything and she was so not ready to embarrass herself in front of Brittany.

"We could all sing something together first. You know, to get you warmed up," Blaine suggested, glancing around at all of them.

"I guess we could do that. But don't think you're getting off that easy, Mami," Kurt warned, pointing accusingly at her.

"Fine, but what's a song we all know?" Brittany asked, resting her elbows on the piano and Santana was temporarily distracted by the way she swayed her butt back and forth.

"'Happy Ending' by Mika?" Blaine suggested, testing a few keys on the piano to see if it was in tune. Brittany and Kurt turned to look at each other and judging by the grin on their faces they knew the song. Santana felt like she had heard of it but wasn't positive, so she quickly searched for the lyrics on her iphone.

"Me and Santana will be back up," Brittany declared to them all before turning to Santana and whispering,

"Don't worry, just follow me."

That calmed her fears a little, but they reared their ugly head again when Blaine sat down at the piano and looked at them. Deeming them to be ready, he let his fingers form the first chord softly.

"_This is the way you left me, I'm not pretending. No hope, no love, no glory, no Happy Ending,_" Brittany began and for a moment Santana was incapable of speech. She had no idea that the blonde could sing so beautifully. Coming to her senses, Santana looked down at the lyrics and dropped in, harmonizing perfectly.

"_This is the way that we love, like its forever. Then live the rest of our life, but not together,_" Santana and Brittany sang and the Latina couldn't help the joy that filled her to be singing again, especially with her girlfriend.

Just as they finished, Kurt's countertenor voice rose with the verse,

"_Wake up in the morning, stumble on my life. Can't get no love without sacrifice. If anything should happen, I guess I wish you well. A little bit of heaven, but a little bit of hell._"

Blaine's lower voice cut through with the pre-chorus while Brittany and Santana harmonized in the background,

"_This is the hardest story that I've ever told. No hope, no love, no glory. Happy endings gone forever more. I feel as if I'm wasted. And I'm wastin' every day_."

Brittany and Santana repeated the opening mantra smiling shyly at each other,

"_This is the way you left me, I'm not pretending. No hope, no love, no glory, no Happy Ending. This is the way that we love, like its forever. Then live the rest of our life, but not together."_

Following with the second verse, Kurt sang,

"_2 o'clock in the morning, something's on my mind. Can't get no rest; keep walkin' around. If I pretend that nothin' ever went wrong, I can get to my sleep I can think that we just carried on."_

"_This is the hardest story that I've ever told. No hope, no love, no glory. Happy endings gone forever more. I feel as if I'm wasted. And I'm wastin' every day_," Blaine sang fiercely while maintaining the delicate piano tune.

"_This is the way you left me, I'm not pretending. No hope, no love, no glory, no Happy Ending. This is the way that we love, like its forever. Then live the rest of our life, but not together,_" Santana sang, finally allowing herself to get lost in the music. It really was a beautiful song, but so sad. Every once in a while, she would glance to her right and watch Brittany out of the corner of her eye.

"_Little bit of love, little bit of love_," Brittany and Santana chanted over and over with Kurt joining in. Then they all rose up together in a powerful explosion of sound,

"_This is the way you left me, I'm not pretending. No hope, no love, no glory,  
>No Happy Ending. This is the way that we love, like it's forever to live the rest of our life, but not together<em>"

Then the two men dropped away, leaving Brittany and Santana,

"_This is the way you left me, I'm not pretending. No hope, no love, no glory, no Happy Ending."_

Their voices continued to echo around the theater even after they had sung the last note.

Santana couldn't ignore the rush of adrenaline that was coursing through her veins after singing with all of them. All her nervousness had melted away in her utter joy at singing again. That is, until she realized that they expected her to sing now. But she had already thought of the perfect song.

* * *

><p>Brittany stared at Santana. As soon as the Latina had opened her mouth when they were singing "Happy Ending" Brittany melted into a puddle. Her voice had a sexy raspiness that was somewhere between Adele and Amy Winehouse. To say she was excited to hear the Latina sing on her own was an understatement.<p>

"Wow! We sounded great!" Blaine complimented and Brittany was pulled out of her thoughts and back to reality.

"Eeeh! I've always wanted to sing Mika!" Kurt was twirling around the stage in utter glee. Brittany grinned at her best friend. She had been worried that they would think she was being ridiculous bringing them to a theater to sing.

She turned and gazed at Santana. More than anything she wanted to hear her sing, but if she wasn't comfortable she didn't want to push her. Despite the fact that they all had been in glee clubs, Santana might be a little self-conscious in front of them.

"I believe it's your turn," Kurt reminded the Latina smugly and Brittany could tell her was just as curious about her singing as she was. It was one thing to hear someone harmonize, but an entirely different thing to sing solo.

"Blaine probably doesn't know the song...," Santana pointed out, rubbing her elbow and staring at the piano apprehensively.

"What song do you want to sing? I might know it," Blaine asked, smiling encouragingly at her.

"'Where I Stood' by Missy Higgins?" she said with a hopeful look on her face. Brittany wracked her mind to try and place the song or the artist but neither rang any bells.

"Sorry," Blaine seemed really bummed that he didn't know it, but Santana merely slid onto the piano bench beside him. After a moment, Blaine seemed to realize that he was no longer needed and stood up to give the dark haired woman some space.

Brittany watched as Santana ran her fingers lightly over the keys, as if she was becoming reacquainted with an old friend. After a moment of complete silence in which all eyes were on the Latina, she let her fingers fall on the first chord.

"_I don't know what I've done. Or if I like what I've begun. But something told me to run. And honey you know me it's all or none,_" Brittany's heart sped up at the sound of Santana's beautiful voice.

"_There were sounds in my head. Little voices whispering. That I should go and this should end. Oh and I found myself listening_," Santana began a more complicated melody, but her voice never faltered as she sang.

"_'Cos I don't know who I am, who I am without you. All I know is that I should. And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you. All I know is that I should. 'Cos she will love you more than I could. She who dares to stand where I stood_," Santana's eyes squeezed shut in emotion from the song, her dark lashes fanning out against her olive skin. Brittany watched in awe at the Latina and hung on every word that left her lips.

"_See I thought love was black and white. That it was wrong or it was right. But you ain't leaving without a fight. And I think I am just as torn inside_," the Latina's soulful voice was heartbreaking and a swell of emotion rose up in Brittany's chest.

_''Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you. All I know is that I should. And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you. All I know is that I should. 'Cos she will love you more than I could. She who dares to stand where I stood_," Santana's voice rose up powerfully in the chorus for the second time and Brittany fel even more in love with the Latina if that was possible.

"_And I won't be far from where you are if ever you should call. You meant more to me than anyone I ever loved at all. But you taught me how to trust myself and so I say to you. This is what I have to do_," Santana's eyes slid open slowly and locked onto Brittany's for the first time since she had begun singing. The chocolate brown depths seemed to pierce her soul and Brittany's throat went dry, the back of her eyes burned with unshed tears.

"_'Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you. All I know is that I should. And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you. All I know is that I should. 'Cos she will love you more than I could. She who dares to stand where I stood. Oh, she who dares to stand where I stood_," the Latina finished and Brittany had completely forgot that Kurt and Blaine were in the room. She only remembered that they were there when Kurt whispered in her ear, breaking the trance she was in,

"Lesbian gold."

* * *

><p><strong>You guys are freakin' amazing! I've never had this many reviews for anything I've written. I really appreciate all you reading and reviewing. Your feedback keeps me writing and gives me inspiration. I highly suggest you check out the two songs in the story, they are some of my favorites. Once again, thank you so much!<strong>


	14. Blaine Gets Served

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

* * *

><p>Santana looked up from the piano and her eyes instantly locked onto Brittany's just as Kurt was whispering something into her ear. She would have been more curious about what he was saying if she could notice anything other than Brittany's glacier blue eyes staring unflinchingly back at her.<p>

Her eyes were rimmed red as if she were about to cry. The thought made Santana's throat close up and her chest tighten. More than anything she wanted the other woman to understand how she felt about her. Yet, her soul seemed torn at the image of Brittany's blue eyes holding back tears. Part of her felt like it was being ripped open; she hated being the cause of any of the blonde's tears. Another, more powerful part of her felt thrilled at the idea that Brittany felt what she was trying to convey in the song.

While the song was kind of about breaking up, Santana didn't know any other song that matched the power of emotion that she felt for Brittany especially in the line, "_I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you._" The idea of anyone else with the blonde woman made her nauseous, especially the thought that Brittany might love someone else more than her.

Santana couldn't deny the rush of emotion that had hit her when she sang the line, "_You meant more to me than anyone I ever loved at all. But you taught me how to trust myself._" It was true; Santana had never loved anyone the way she loved Brittany. While she had only known the blonde for a few months, Santana felt like she had grown up and really found herself and Brittany was responsible for that. Not to mention, how much more confident Santana felt about herself and her sexuality now.

Santana was pulled out of her thoughts when Kurt approached the piano and teasingly chastised her,

"If I had known you were going to make us all look bad I wouldn't have let you sing."

The Latina smiled at the fair skinned, brunette man and stood up from the piano bench, not knowing how to appropriately respond to him. She was afraid that she had made Blaine and him uncomfortable, but Santana could read in his smile that she had done no such thing. The other dark-haired man snaked his arm around Kurt and broke the silence that had descended in the group.

"We should definitely do this again some time," Blaine suggested, his dark eyes crinkling as he smiled at Santana. Her ego had been significantly boosted when he had looked at her so impressed when she began playing the piano. Up until high school, Santana had been forced against her will to take piano lessons, so she was a little rusty. Thankfully, once she had started singing everything seemed to fall into place and she forgot about her subpar piano skills.

"I-," Brittany began, her voice strained, so she cleared it embarrassedly before choking out,

"I agree."

Kurt glanced sideways at the blonde woman and Santana couldn't help but feel that he always knew something they didn't.

"I think me and Blaine are gonna make a Starbucks run. You ladies want anything?" Kurt asked looking from Brittany to Santana with that same all-knowing smirk.

"We can go with you," Brittany offered, but Kurt put up a hand to stop her.

"We got it. We can just meet you back at your dorm and we can decide where to go from there," Kurt suggested, and Santana couldn't help but feel like he was trying to leave her and Brittany alone.

"Are you sure you'll be able to get to Starbucks and find your way back?" Santana asked, after all, they weren't familiar with the area.

"Look, I have an iphone. I'm not going to get lost. If I do I'll send up red sparks. Now just tell me what you want," Kurt told her huffily, and she had to laugh at his Harry Potter reference. He could be such a dork sometimes.

"Cute, real cute... Tall hot chocolate," Brittany relented, not before rolling her eyes at him but smiling nonetheless.

"Grande pumpkin spice latte," Santana replied and Kurt looked triumphant as he skipped/dragged Blaine out of the theater in an awful hurry.

* * *

><p>Brittany watched as the theater door slammed shut behind Kurt and Blaine before turning her full attention to the beautiful Latina beside her. Of course she knew exactly what Kurt was up to, but chose to play dumb since she was perfectly okay with him giving her and Santana some alone time.<p>

"I had no idea you had such an amazing voice," Brittany complimented, finally finding words as Santana stood up from the piano bench and approached her.

"When are _you_ going to sing a solo for _me_?" Santana asked matter-of-factly, lifting her arms up around Brittany's shoulders and letting her fingers comb slowly through her soft blonde hair. In response, Brittany wrapped her long arms around the Latina's waist, enjoying the feeling of Santana's fingers in her hair..

"Half-past never," Brittany replied, smirking and challenging the Latina with her eyes. Santana merely placed a small kiss on her lips then buried her face into the blonde's neck.

"I love you," Santana whispered, her lips tickling Brittany's neck and causing the blonde to shiver with barely concealed pleasure. The Latina seemed to have felt this and started trailing tender kisses slowly up and down Brittany's neck.

"Mhmm... I love you too," the blonde was having a hard time remembering where she was as she tilted her head to the side to allow Santana better access to the sensitive skin of her throat. Part of her was nervous that someone could walk in any minute, but it was completely overshadowed by how good it felt to have Santana's lips on her feverish skin.

Brittany's knees were going weak as Santana began trailing kisses along her jaw line, closer and closer to her lips. The Latina finally arrived at Brittany's lips but merely hovered over them teasingly.

"We should go," Santana whispered, her warm breath caressing the blonde's lips. Brittany watched as the Latina turned on her heel and strutted down the aisle towards the theater's exit. After the all her senses returned to her and she fully comprehended what happened, she groaned in frustration and followed her.

"Tease," Brittany mumbled at Santana's back and the Latina flashed the blonde a cocky grin over her shoulder. She paused and allowed the blonde to catch up with her, holding her hand out for her to take. Brittany complied and laced her fingers with Santana's, reveling in the warmth of the Latina's hand.

Just before they got to the exit, Brittany felt Santana stop and turn back to her. The dark-haired woman surprised her by pulling her in for a sudden, passionate kiss.

As soon as it started it was over and Brittany's eyes slid open slowly to Santana's chocolate eyes staring at her, all traces of humor gone. Being drawn to the other woman's lips, Brittany was the one to pull Santana in for another kiss.

For a moment, Brittany was lost in the feeling of Santana's full lips on her own. She couldn't remember a time when she was this happy. Never in her life had she been with anyone that made her feel this good, not to mention she was completely comfortable with Santana. This relationship was so easy, so incredibly effortless.

After pulling away, it was Brittany's turn to smirk at the Hispanic woman.

"I knew you couldn't resist me," she teased her confidently and Santana grinned as she opened the door for her. As Brittany stepped out onto the sidewalk, she automatically reached for the Latina's hand before continuing towards their dorm.

They walked slowly back just enjoying being in each other's presence and in no rush. All around them other VCU students walked quickly passed them on their way to some unknown destination. Despite the frigid air, Brittany was in no rush to get back; she wanted to enjoy every moment she spent with Santana.

As they climbed the stairs to their dorm, Brittany glanced up and saw Kurt and Blaine waiting for them in front of their door. She felt a little bad that she and Santana had taken their sweet time coming back and making them wait, but only a little. The two men were leaning against the wall, standing intimately close and having a whispered conversation.

Blaine noticed them first and straightened up, smiling as Brittany and Santana reached the landing of the stairs. Kurt followed suit and shook his head in mock disapproval.

"What took you so long, ladies?" he asked, raising a suggestive, perfectly shaped eyebrow at them. Without asking, Brittany took the coffee cup in his left hand, knowing it was hers. Ever since they were in middle school Kurt had never gotten coffee a size smaller than vente...until Starbucks invented the trente, now that was all he got.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Brittany shot back, watching as Santana took the coffee that Blaine politely offered her. Kurt made a disgusted face as Brittany unlocked the door and let them all in to the dorm.

"No thank you," Kurt asserted, still appearing thoroughly grossed out by whatever imaginary scene he had conjured of them into in his head.

* * *

><p>They all perched themselves on various surfaces in the dorm, sipping their coffees and reminiscing. Before they all knew it the sun was setting and they began getting restless again.<p>

"So, what's the plan for tonight?" Blaine asked tossing his empty coffee cup into the trash can. Kurt jumped up, picked it out of the trash can carefully, and gave his boyfriend an indignant look.

"You can recycle these you know," Kurt chastised, while Blaine held up his hands in defense.

"Sorry, I didn't know you could!" the dark haired crooner said defensively. Santana just simply watched the exchange with barely concealed amusement. They really were a cute couple.

"I've got it!" all of a sudden Brittany stood up with a huge grin. Santana wasn't quite sure what was going on in the blonde's head, but from the look on her face it couldn't be good.

Blaine and Kurt looked at her as if she had lost her mind or something, but Brittany's smile never faltered.

"You've got what?" Santana asked her calmly, knowing she was digging herself in a hole by asking the question.

"I know what we can do tonight," Brittany claimed, glancing excitedly from Santana to Kurt to Blaine then back to Santana. The Latina had a hard time controlling the swell of affection that rose in her at Brittany's enthusiasm.

"And what's that?" Kurt asked cautiously, raising an eyebrow questioningly. He didn't seem quite as enamored with Brittany's child-like excitement.

"We could go bowling! They do glow in the dark bowling most nights in the west end! Can we go please? Pleeease?" Brittany pleaded, and Santana grinned as Kurt rolled his eyes at her.

"Why do you insist on picking activities that make me and Blaine look bad?" Kurt asked rhetorically, but Blaine looked mock hurt.

"Are you kidding? I used to be in a junior bowling league when I was a kid. The only person who is going to look bad is you. I'm in," Blaine told Brittany coming over to stand with her. Kurt could see that he was outnumbered on this one and he made a strange face. Santana had no idea if that was because Blaine was in a bowling league or because he didn't want to go. Either way he finally relented and grabbed his hat before walking towards the door.

"What do you think, San?" Brittany asked her, smiling hopefully at the Latina. Truthfully, Santana was absolutely horrible at bowling and was more than likely worse than even Kurt. But... there was no way she was about to ruin Brittany's happiness even if that meant making a complete ass of herself in front of everyone.

"Sounds like fun," she agreed, watching as the blonde made her way towards the door before turning back to all of them suddenly.

"Would you all mind if I invited our neighbors?" she asked, and Santana's immediate reaction was disappointment. After a moment she remembered the conversation she had with Brittany about being nicer to Quinn...no matter what.

"It's okay with me... as long as they suck worse than me at bowling," Kurt agreed and Blaine nodded.

Brittany then turned her eyes on her and Santana managed a small smile and a tentative nod. Satisfied, Brittany led them out of the dorm, locking it behind them, and knocking on Quinn and Mercedes' door.

Mercedes opened the door, smiled when she saw them, and greeted them happily,

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, my best friends Kurt and Blaine are in town and we were all about to go bowling and we just wanted to know if you or Quinn wanted to come with us?" Brittany asked, motioning to all them behind her and Mercedes waved politely over the blonde's shoulder.

"I'm game. Let me see if Quinn wants to come," Mercedes replied excitedly before disappearing back into her dorm. A moment later she reappeared alone with her purse and a jacket on.

"She said she doesn't feel like it," she informed them with a shrug. It obviously didn't bother her one bit.

"Do you mind if I talk to her?" Brittany asked hopefully, she apparently wasn't going to give in without a fight.

"Be my guest," Mercedes held the door open for her and Santana watched as the blonde woman disappeared into the dorm. Santana highly doubted that Quinn would want to go with this big gay bunch but to her surprise Quinn appeared with Brittany a few moments later.

"Ready to go?" Brittany asked, as she began walking towards Kurt's SUV. Santana just stared at her in disbelief and Mercedes looked just as surprised. What in the hell did she say to Quinn to make her want to come? But Brittany refused to meet her eyes, so Santana would just have to ask her later.

They all piled into Kurt's Escalade and Santana got directions on her iphone to the bowling alley. Brittany was practically bouncing in the seat next to her and Santana couldn't stop the affectionate smile that spread across her features. The blonde woman was so innocent and yet, so incredibly insightful when she wanted to be.

An audible huff could be heard from the front passenger seat where Kurt was sitting. She knew he was just being dramatic, but she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of empathy. After all, the last time she had been bowling she had gotten kicked out for hitting an employee with a bowling pin. But she wasn't about to tell anyone about that.

Santana reached out her hand and gently squeezed Brittany's thigh partly to stop her bouncing and partly because she just wanted to touch her. The blonde ceased her movements immediately and stared at Santana and despite the darkness in the SUV she could still see flashes of Brittany's ice blue eyes as they passed the occasional street light.

"Where do I turn, Santana?" Blaine asked from the driver seat and Santana turned to see him looking at her expectantly from the rearview mirror. Santana pushed the inappropriate thoughts she was having about Brittany, looked down at her iphone, and responded,

"You're gonna turn left at the light up here then hop on 95 north."

Brittany continued staring at her making it hard for Santana to remember how to breath. She had to consciously force her lungs to expand and contract and then, like whenever you're thinking about breathing, she couldn't find a normal rhythm.

* * *

><p>Brittany still sat frozen as Santana's hand was still resting on her leg; she was afraid if she moved at all the Latina would remove it. As she sat there and watched her girlfriend navigate for Blaine, her heart beat at a ridiculous pace.<p>

Santana's hand was a little higher on her thigh than she probably intended, but Brittany wasn't complaining, though it was making it uncomfortably warm in the Escalade, in the blonde's opinion.

"So you all met in high school?" Mercedes asked them, and Santana had apparently forgot they were in the car with other people because when she heard the other girl's voice her hand flew off Brittany's leg. Already her leg felt cold and missed the feeling of Santana's warmth.

"Sort of. Kurt and Brittany went to the same high school and were best friends first. I went to a private school so me and Kurt met during a show choir competition junior year. And believe it or not, Santana is actually from the same area, but went to a different high school so none of us met her until now," Blaine answered her, trying to be friendly and engage in conversation.

"Wow... it must have been fate," Quinn's soft voice barely carried to Brittany's ears, but she heard it all the same. There wasn't a trace of irony in the other blonde's voice and from the look on Santana's face she was just as surprised that Quinn wasn't making fun of them.

"I think so," Brittany replied, glancing back at Quinn who refused to make eye contact. Instead she was staring intently out of the window and Brittany felt like what she had said to her back in her dorm might have actually made a difference.

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><p><em>Brittany stepped quietly into Mercedes and Quinn's dorm and immediately caught sight of the blonde woman sitting on her bed with headphones in. As she approached Quinn looked up, obviously startled at seeing someone in her room. She pulled her headphones out of her ears and sat up on her bed.<em>

_She looked as if she was about to say something rude but the taller blonde cut her off quickly,_

_"Just come with us, Quinn," Brittany invited, trying to show her sincerity in her eyes._

_"Why?" the cheerleader asked, confused. _

_"Because it'll keep you from purging," Brittany told her bluntly and Quinn's face immediately dropped. She had apparently thought no one knew._

_"How'd you know I'm bulimic?" Quinn stood up, deliberately looking away from the taller blonde woman and wrapping her arms securely around herself. _

_"Come on, Quinn. You're throwing up in that bathroom at least twice a day," Brittany replied, but continued to make sure Quinn understood what she was trying to say,_

_"I just want you to go bowling with us, that's all."_

_"Does Santana know?" Quinn asked finally make a tentative glance in Brittany's direction. _

_"No, and I'm not going to tell her unless you want me to," Brittany responded simply, hoping that she would decide to come with them._

_Quinn seemed to be having an internal struggle with herself, but Brittany was just impressed they had managed to have such a long, civil conversation._

_"Okay," Quinn agreed hesitantly. Brittany hardly believed her ears, but sure enough the cheerleader grabbed her purse and made her way to the door of the dorm._

_"I love going bowling. My dad used to take me all the time when I was a little girl," Quinn told her softly, glancing over her shoulder at Brittany before turning the door handle._

* * *

><p>"We're here," Blaine announced from the driver's seat, bringing Brittany back to the present. The Escalade came to a complete stop and everyone piled out into the parking lot.<p>

Brittany walked around the car and slid her hand into Santana's, who looked down at their joined hands then smiled up at her. Santana brought Brittany's hand up to her lips and planted a tender kiss on her knuckles before swinging their hands back down between them.

As much as she wanted to tell everyone else to get lost so she could just be alone with the beautiful Latina next to her, Brittany led them inside and to the shoe rental counter anyway.

Once they were all settled on their lane with their balls, shoes on, names in the computer Brittany stood up to lead them all off.

"All right, all you cowards who didn't want to go first. Watch how it's done," she said, picking up an orange ball and walking up to the line.

She stared intently at the middle pin and brought the ball up to her face. Then she cocked her arm back and chucked the ball... directly into the gutter.

Brittany turned on her heel to see everyone laughing at her, even Quinn was giggling quietly beside Mercedes. Santana tried to suppress her laughter, but it was no use so she just hid her mouth with her hand.

"I asked you if you wanted the bumpers," Blaine teased as Kurt held onto him to keep from falling over.

"That was just practice. This one is for real," Brittany told them jokingly. She didn't take their teasing to heart, in fact the plan was for everyone to have a good time, even if it meant laughing at her all night.

Sure enough, her next throw was a gutter ball too. Mercedes did a little better managing to get a total of 5 pins on her first throw. Kurt, on the other hand, panicked when he stepped over the line, setting the buzzer off and he threw the ball two lanes over. Santana got 7 pins before Blaine stepped up and showed off his perfect form by getting the rest of the pins on his second throw, earning him a spare.

"And _that's_ how it's done, Brittany," he teased her with a cocky smirk that she could never be mad at. She just shook her head at him as he sat down and Quinn made her way to the ball machine. Blaine folded his arms as if he had this game in the bag, being the only experienced bowler as far as he knew.

Quinn picked up a red ball tested its weight before stepping onto the ledge of the alley. She waited while a person on a lane to their left finished before bringing the ball to her face. Instead of walking up to the line and then chucking the ball like almost everyone else, she calmly brought the ball back as she took two quick steps to the line and released the ball smoothly and quickly down the lane, following through with her hand.

To everyone's disbelief, the ball struck the two front pins, causing a domino effect that knocked down every single pin. Brittany's face whipped to Blaine's to gauge his reaction and smiled at the gaping hole that his mouth had become. He was in utter disbelief and Brittany was the one laughing at them now.

"I believe that was a strike," Quinn informed Blaine with an innocent smile as she took her seat. Santana looked deeply impressed and smiled over at Brittany and the blonde knew she was thinking the same thing: This was gonna be a good game.

* * *

><p>After a few hours of bowling in which Quinn won every game and Blaine never lost his expression of disbelief, they decided to call it a night. Santana sat in the Escalade with all of them thoroughly exhausted as Kurt actually drove them back to the dorm; Blaine was too busy pouting to drive.<p>

Once they were back they walked to the dorms and Mercedes and Quinn waved as they made their way back to their door. Before Quinn shut the door, Santana made up her mind and stopped her.

"Hey, I just wanted to thank you for coming out with us. It was fun. Well, not really for Blaine," Santana told her genuinely. She really did enjoy hanging out with the other cheerleader, even though they hadn't said that much to each other. It was hard to forgive her for the things she had said to her, but Santana was going to try, for Brittany's sake.

"I feel bad for beating him, but I honestly tried to let him win the last one," Quinn replied with a smile. She seemed like she had a good time too; she just seemed a tad bit happier than usual.

"His ego will recover. Anyway, we should all hang out again soon," Santana replied, it was an honest invitation and Quinn seemed to realize that.

"Definitely," Quinn agreed, and Santana stepped back from the door finally with a small wave.

"'Night," she said and Quinn returned the farewell before closing the door gently and Santana couldn't help but feel like maybe they could actually be friends.

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><p><strong>I apologi<strong>**ze for the long wait and I'm sure only a handful of people are still reading this but I promise I have my reasons for the huge gap in updates. One of them being, that as much as I love Glee, the writers are really messing up Brittany and Santana's storyline. It's making me sad and I can't update when I'm sad. The only thing keeping me going is that you guys are giving me such amazing reviews and I thank everyone who is still reading this little story. A lot more fluff next chapter! I promise I won't give up on this story if you won't!**


	15. Daydreams

_Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters._

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><p>The long weekend passed in a blur and before Brittany knew it she was back in Bio 101, bored out of her mind. Kurt and Blaine had left Saturday afternoon to get a head start on the long drive back to Ohio and Brittany missed them already.<p>

It was hard not seeing her best friends all the time like they used to back in high school, but she didn't regret coming here for college. If she hadn't, Brittany was fairly positive that she wouldn't have met Santana despite the fact that they lived so close to each other back in Ohio. Plus, Brittany would be back for Thanksgiving and then for winter break, so she would see them then.

This morning, somehow, Brittany managed to wake up in time to go to class but that didn't stop her from almost falling asleep while she sat there. As she sat in the harsh false lightning of the lecture hall with her elbow resting on the desk, Brittany felt herself nodding off. Her knuckles began digging into her cheeks as her head became heavier and her eyelids sank lower and lower to the professor's slow drone.

Santana image began to appear on the back of her eyelids as she often did when Brittany slept, but this time was very different.

_The Latina was in her classic posture, leaning against the door frame in their dorm with her arms folded across her chest and a small smile on her face. _

"_I love you," Santana whispered, unfolding her arms and pushing herself away from the door frame. She walked slowly towards Brittany who was sitting on the bottom bunk staring intently back at the Hispanic woman. _

_Before Brittany could reply, Santana had placed both hands on the bed on either side of her body and pressed her lips firmly against hers. Her heart was pounding so loud against her chest that Brittany was sure the dark haired woman could hear it._

_Santana lifted one hand behind Brittany's head and gently lowered the blonde down onto the bed. She returned the kiss with just as much fervor and lost herself in the feeling of Santana's slight weight on top of her. It was amazing to feel literally every inch of the dark-haired woman pressed against her. _

_When she felt Santana's warm hand on the sensitive skin of her hip Brittany gasped against her mouth. The other woman's fingers began to slide under the hem of her jeans and-_

Brittany woke with a start. She looked around and people were all getting their stuff together and leaving. Taking a calming breath, Brittany looked around and it took her a moment for her brain to remember where she was and what she was supposed to be doing. When her brain caught up she wondered how she could have slept through the entire class without getting in trouble. Whatever the reason, she hopped up quickly and got her things together, her face red from a combination of embarrassment and something else.

As the blonde trudged to her next class, her mind drifted to thoughts of her girlfriend. That day dream was something she had never experienced in her life. Ever. Sure, she had been attracted to people before but Brittany had never had a graphic almost-sex dream about someone in the middle of a class.

There was absolutely no question that she was attracted to the Latina and she knew that they hadn't been together very long. But...there was this undeniable hunger inside of Brittany that told her it was about time they took their relationship to the next level. The only problem was... that idea scared the hell out of her.

Of course, Brittany loved Santana and she knew that the dark haired woman would never hurt her, but there was a slight problem. Brittany was a virgin.

Everyone always thought she was this big slut, but the truth was that she had never actually gone all the way with anyone. Every time Brittany had been close to actually being with a guy, something had always stopped her. It wasn't that she didn't find them attractive... it just didn't ever feel right.

Being a freshman in college and still a virgin was slightly embarrassing, so she hadn't really told Santana yet. Sure, she had told her that she had been with lots of guys, but she had forgotten to mention _how_ she had been with them.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that the next time she looked up she was standing in front of the dance classroom. Brittany allowed herself a moment to collect herself before walking in and joining the class.

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><p>Santana hated Mondays, especially Mondays after a holiday. Those were the worst. It was hard enough waking up early after a normal weekend, much less a four day weekend.<p>

The more time she spent with Kurt and Blaine, the more she liked them and she couldn't deny that she was sad to see them go. They were just so laid back and willing to do anything as long as they were hanging out with friends. It was a weird experience having actual friends that she wanted to be around, but Santana was learning to enjoy it. She definitely would be hanging out with them over winter break.

Despite not going on her usual morning run, Santana was still up and ready for English and not once did she fall asleep during the lecture. After class though, she felt like she was beginning to feel the effects of her changed sleep pattern on her body. The Latina climbed the stairs to her French class sluggishly until she got to the 5th floor in which was greeted by a group of people outside of the classroom door.

Normally she would just pass them and keep going, but they were all standing in front of the French classroom reading a paper taped to the door. Santana squeezed through and glanced at the paper which read:

_"Sorry Everyone, French 102 will be canceled today."_

That's all it said. No explanation. If she wasn't so excited about not having class, Santana would have been pissed that the professor hadn't just e-mailed them all that, so she wouldn't have had to walk up all those freaking stairs.

Stepping out of the crowd of people, Santana leisurely made her way back down the stairs trying to decide what to do with her afternoon. She didn't even have cheering practice today, so she had the rest of the afternoon completely free.

She knew that Brittany was at her dance class right now, so she decided to sneak over there. Maybe if she was lucky, she could catch a glimpse of Brittany dancing without her knowing.

Having a new purpose, Santana walked more quickly. The more she thought about watching her girlfriend dance, the more excited she got.

Sure, she had seen Brittany dance a little in their dorm, but to see her move unrestricted in her proper environment would be truly amazing.

When she got to the building, Santana walked in unsure. She had never actually been in this building and wasn't a hundred percent postive where to go. Brittany and she had exchanged schedules just in case they ever needed to know where the other was, but it was a little more difficult to actually find the room than she thought it would be.

Eventually Santana found it and luckily it was a classroom with windows so she could peak in. She probably looked like a major creeper but it was worth it when she finally found Brittany among the others.

The blonde woman had her leg up on the bar, leaning forward slightly, stretching herself for class. Santana couldn't take her eyes off Brittany's long, lean frame as she continued to prepare for class.

After a few minutes a curly haired man, the person Santana assumed to be the professor, gave some directions she could hear before pairing them all up. The Latina was only a little jealous when Brittany was paired with an Asian guy, who the blonde refused to make eye contact with. Santana figured t that hat must be the guy that asked her out the first day of class. Awkward.

The teacher started some music on the CD player and demonstrated some moves with another student. From the bits of the music she could hear and the dance steps it looked like they were doing some type of swing music.

Once he was finished showing them the moves he started the music over and everyone prepared themselves. Santana would be lying if she said she wasn't a tad bit jealous about Brittany dancing with a guy who obviously had more abs than she did herself, but once they started dancing she forgot about everything except Brittany.

Everything about her movements was smooth and flawless. Each motion was controlled and just sheer perfection. Santana couldn't describe it any other way. Brittany was just amazing.

More than anything at that moment Santana wished that she could dance with Brittany like that, but the chances of that happening were pretty slim. No one ever believed her when she said she had absolutely no rhythm, but it was true. Maybe she would try it one day though, as long as Brittany was the one teaching her...and no one was watching.

Before long the class was over and Santana watched as Brittany stretched her legs again to prevent from pulling a muscle and then gathered up her things. For some reason, the blonde hung back in the classroom, slowly stretching out her legs on the floor with her eyes closed. It almost looked as though she were meditating.

* * *

><p>Brittany needed to just sit there for a little longer. If she went directly back to her dorm with Santana there she might jump her bones as soon as she walked in the door. She needed to calm herself and try to cool the fire that had developed in her lower abdomen.<p>

The whole time she had been dancing, Brittany had pictured that she was with Santana. This only made her want the Latina that much more. This was getting to be really intense. Was she ready to take it to be with Santana in that way? Her body was definitely saying yes.

Opening her eyes, the blonde woman stood up and was about to leave when her eyes met the object of her desire. Just like in her fantasy, Santana was leaning against the door frame, arms folded over chest and a small smile playing over her lips.

A fresh flood of emotions swept through her making it feel a hundred degrees warmer in the room.

"You're amazing," Santana's silky voice complimented and the Latina approached her, walking slowly. Once she was inches away from Brittany she snaked her arms around her and pressed her lips to hers in a brief kiss.

"I...You...You were watching?" Brittany fumbled with her words when Santana gently broke the kiss. The Latina reached a hand up and pushed some rogue hairs that had escaped her pony tail behind Brittany's ear, causing her to shudder a little.

"Yea, French got canceled, so I came here. I could watch you dance forever," Santana told her, giving her smile that made her knees go weak. Brittany had to do something. If they went back to the dorm now, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from jumping into bed with Santana.

She needed time to think this through. Wracking her brain, she glanced around the room until her eyes fell on the familiar piano.

"I want to sing for you," Brittany told her in a rush, taking the Latina by the hand and leading her to the bench before she could say anything and then sat down beside her.

"Really? You _do _owe me a song. What do you want to sing?" Santana told her with barely concealed excitement.

"'Love me Like a River Does' by Melody Gardot?" Brittany suggested quickly and hopefully, trying to read the Latina's to see if she knew the song. Sure enough Santana smiled and adjusted herself in front of the keys.

"I know that one, I think. Let's see...," Santana informed her cautiously, smiling at her before looking to the ceiling as if she were wracking her brain for the song. Then she slowly brought her face down and lifted her hands to hover over the piano.

Santana's fingers trailed down the keyboard, her hands leap frogging each other smoothly down the keys before striking a powerful chord suddenly and then building a haunting melody from there. Brittany began singing and she knew that whatever she had set out to do, she had accomplished quite the opposite.

"_Love me like a river does, 'cross the sea. Love me like a river does, endlessly. Love me like a river does. Baby, don't rush, you're no waterfall. Love me, that is all." _

Brittany could feel Santana's eyes burning into her, hanging on her every syllable. This was different from when the Latina sang to her the other day. For one, they were completely alone and for another, this was a very different kind of song. Brittany was definitely conveying an entirely different emotion and the air was becoming thick with it.

_"Love me like a roaring sea, swirls about. Love me like a roaring sea, wash me out. Love me like roaring sea. Baby, don't rush, you're no water fall. Love me, that is all."_

This unbelievable urge to just let Santana make love to her right on that piano was sounding more and more like a good idea. More than anything she just wanted the Latina to touch her, to feel those lips kiss her. But her voice remained steady and she controlled herself for a little while longer.

"_Love me like the Earth itself, spins around. Love me like the Earth itself, sky above, below the ground. Love me like the Earth itself. Baby, don't rush, you're no waterfall. Love me, that is all." _

Brittany finished the song and finally allowed herself to lock eyes with Santana. That was her first mistake.

* * *

><p>Santana stared at the blue eyes that seemed to be looking through her, and she hope the blonde couldn't tell what she was thinking. There were some seriously impure thoughts running through her mind after listening to Brittany's voice sing those words to her.<p>

"That was incred-," Santana started, but she was cut off quickly.

Brittany gently grabbed the back of Santana's head, stunning her into silence, and brought her lips full on hers. For a moment, the Latina was too surprised to react, but she quickly reciprocated the powerful kiss.

It was difficult to get much closer to each other because of the way they were sitting on the piano bench, so Santana slowly brought the kiss to a stop. She smiled at the blonde affectionately and stood up, offering her hand to Brittany.

"Let's go," was all she said, and the other woman obliged, taking her hand wordlessly.

They walked back to their dorm in silence, but the air between them was electric. Santana felt like any sudden movement would trigger a make out session with Brittany.

Santana wasn't an idiot. She knew what the next level in their relationship was, but as much as she wanted to make love to Brittany, something was telling her to slow things down.

Lately, it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore the fire that was building within her. That certain way Brittany touched her made her want to throw caution to the wind and just lay her down right there.

Everything in her body was telling her that it was time to take the next step, and even her mind said that they were in a loving relationship, what was wrong with making it physical? After all, Santana had sex with plenty of people in high school that she didn't give a shit about and who didn't give a shit about her either. What was stopping her from having sex with someone who she cared deeply for?

Maybe, that's what was stopping her. Maybe she was afraid of _making love_ to someone. She'd had plenty of meaningless sex, but what would sex be like with feelings involved?

Another thing that scared the crap out of her was what Brittany would think after. What if they had sex and Brittany realized she was actually straight? Santana knew if that happened, it would just be too much for her to handle.

Santana loved Brittany more than she thought possible. When she woke up in the morning all she could think about was the blonde woman, when she went to bed Brittany was always in her dreams, and thoughts of her invaded her mind every minute in between. The idea of anyone hurting the blonde including herself made Santana feel a combination of rage and sadness.

Of course, Santana wanted to make love to Brittany. But she wanted to make sure that it was perfect and that Brittany was completely comfortable in every possible way.

When they reached their door, Santana unlocked it and held it open for her girlfriend. Santana followed her in and after she had closed the door, she turned to see Brittany sitting on her bed. Santana leaned against the door frame and stared at the blonde woman, folding her arms across her chest in the process.

"I love you," Santana told her, unfolding her arms and walking towards Brittany, but something made her pause. The blonde woman was looking at her funny.

"Hey, what's up?" Santana asked gently, walking over and sliding down next to her. She wrapped her arm around Brittany, concerned she had done something wrong.

After a few moments, Brittany finally looked up at her and gave Santana a small smile.

"I'm sorry, my mind just wandered," the blonde woman told her, and Santana could tell she wasn't telling the whole truth but she wasn't going to push her.

* * *

><p>Brittany sat there for a minute, leaning her head against Santana's shoulder, debating how to best start the conversation they needed to have.<p>

In the end, the feeling of Santana's fingers trailing up and down her bare arm was too much for her to ignore. Lifting her head, Brittany tenderly placed a kiss on the smooth skin of Santana's neck, but she didn't stop there. She brought her lips to the Latina's ear and whispered,

"I love you."

Brittany might have been able to stop there, but a small noise of pleasure escaped Santana's throat and she heard it. Any thoughts that were in her head, vanished with that tiny noise.

The blonde turned to completely face Santana and captured her full lips with her own in a passionate kiss. Without really realizing she was doing it, Brittany lowered the Latina down onto the bed until she was completely on top of her.

Brittany wasn't aware that her hand was creeping up the Latina's shirt until Santana broke the kiss suddenly and stopped her hand with her own.

At first Brittany was hurt...Didn't Santana want to do this?...But then she looked down at Santana's face and she could see the same fire in her dark eyes that she was feeling herself.

"Did I do something wrong?" Brittany asked, confused about why the Latina stopped her if she felt the same way.

Santana gently shifted so that way she and Brittany were lying on their sides facing each other. Those beautiful chocolate eyes were staring right through her as Santana gently pushed a stray lock of hair out of Brittany's face.

"Of course you didn't do anything wrong. Believe me, you were doing everything right," Santana told her, smiling happily back at her.

"I've never done this before, you know," Brittany revealed timidly, lifting her head up with her hand and leaning her elbow on the bed to get a better view of the Latina woman next to her.

Santana didn't look surprised or even bothered by this new information at all she merely leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

"That's why I want to make sure it's special and that we don't rush into things," Santana began, raising herself up on her elbow as well so she could look Brittany in the eyes more effectively.

"Have you slept with a lot of women?" Brittany couldn't help but ask and she immediately regretted from the look on the other woman's face. Santana looked down, apparently very interested in the thread count on her sheets, but she eventually met Brittany's eyes again.

"Yes... honestly... I have, but not one of them meant anything to me and I didn't mean anything to them. But you...you are everything to me and I want to do this right," Santana replied confidently and Brittany's heart constricted painfully. How had she been lucky enough to be in a relationship with someone this amazing; someone who cared that much about her?

"I love you...so much, Santana," Brittany whispered, leaning forward and placing her lips on the Latina's in a quick, gentle kiss.

"I love you too," the dark haired woman whispered back, rolling over on her back and looking up at her.

As Brittany stared down at Santana there was one thing she was curious about.

"When do you think the time will be right?" she asked, smiling down at her girlfriend.

"Well, I know it's not really romantic, but I think we should have a talk first at least," Santana told her, shrugging.

"I agree, but...," Brittany began slowly, trying to find the right words to say to the Latina.

"But...?" Santana asked, trying to get her to continue her thought process.

"But can we not do this on the bed? Being on a bed with you is just too much of a distraction," Brittany finished, giving the Latina a wide grin. Santana laughed at that and nodded in agreement.

"Fair enough," Santana complied by rolling over, sitting up, and sliding off the bed all in one fluid motion. She eventually came to rest, sitting on the floor with her back against the bunk bed. Brittany took a calming breath and came to sit beside her on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Soooo...," Brittany started, unsure of exactly where to begin. There were so many things she wanted to say and ask, but she wasn't positive which were appropriate. The fact was she knew zero about sex, not to mention lesbian sex and this was not a conversation she was a hundred percent comfortable having, but she also understood that it was a hundred percent necessary.

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><p><strong>Thank you so much to everyone who is still reading and reviewing! Over 500 reviews! That's incredible! The most I've ever had for a story plus some! I'm honored that so many of you have decided to stick it out with me for the long haul. Things are heating up between the ladies and I just want to go ahead and say that I will not being increasing the rating to M but the things will get very steamy in the coming chapters. Just a fair warning. <strong>


	16. The First Time

Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from the Fox television show 'Glee' or any of its characters.

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><p>"Sooo...," Brittany began and Santana could tell that this was going to be an extremely awkward conversation for both of them. She was really starting to regret not keeping her mouth shut and just letting things happen. But, no, they needed to do this. They had to talk about this and they would both be better off for it, no matter how uncomfortable it made them right now.<p>

"So… you've never done this before... is there anything you're nervous or unsure about?" Santana couldn't believe that a coherent sentence left her mouth despite all the swirling thoughts in her head, but it did and it sounded pretty good too.

She watched as the blonde woman stared intently down at her hands and seemed completely engrossed in her cuticles. Santana was in no rush, she was going to give Brittany all the time she needed. Obviously, there was something the other woman wanted to say, but was having difficulty finding the right words. Finally, Brittany glanced sideways at her and gave her a nervous half-smile.

"There are a lot of things that I'm nervous about but… I know that I'm ready... I know because I've never felt this way for anyone else. If you're not the right person and this isn't the right time then I don't know what is," Brittany's soft voice travelled over to Santana's ears and a surge of relief flooded through her. She sounded so sure, yet there still seemed like there was something else on the tip of her tongue.

"What are you nervous about?" Santana asked flat out. There were plenty of things she was terrified of, but she wanted to make sure she understood what Brittany was feeling before revealing her own fears.

"Well, the main one is that I've never done this before... with anyone. And I guess I know how it all works but still... I mean, you know what it was like in Ohio. We hardly got Sex Ed at all much less Sex Ed geared to, well, us...," once Brittany started she couldn't stop and Santana wasn't about to interrupt her while she was on a tangent like this.

"I'm scared I'll do something wrong and make a fool of myself, or I'll hurt you somehow. And what if I can't make you feel good and you don't want to be with me anymore and what if you need to be with someone more experienced who can make you feel amazing all the time. I mean you deserve it, but I don't know if I could handle it and what if...you...," Brittany seemed to be a little overwhelmed, revealing this all of sudden.

"Brittany," Santana began calmly, reaching beside her to the blonde woman and grabbing her hand,

"It's okay. No one knows what they're doing their first time. That's what makes it so special. And I am truly honored that you trust me enough to be your first."

Santana squeezed Brittany's hand gently and the other woman's face seemed to relax if only just a little bit. Then a small crease formed on Brittany's perfect forehead once again and Santana gave her an encouraging look.

"Is there something else bothering you?" she asked after a moment when Brittany seemed to be overly interested in her cuticles again.

"I...well... this is kinda off topic, but...I'm just curious…was your first time special?" Brittany asked, glancing up at her. Santana stared blankly at her for a moment. This was a question she hadn't seen coming at all and it took her a moment to process it.

"Honestly...no. I was really young. I was naive. But above all I was confused," Santana wasn't entirely sure this is where she wanted the conversation to go, but Brittany asked her a question so she was going to answer it.

"Were you...?" Brittany couldn't seem to be able to get the word out, but Santana knew what she was trying to say.

"No, no, no. it wasn't like that... In fact, I initiated it...," Santana paused before continuing. Brittany deserved to have an explanation, even if it wasn't helping the conversation at all so she took a deep breath and began speaking.

"I was mad that my dad wouldn't let me date this guy I liked, so one night I snuck over to his house while his parents were away. I didn't really plan on it, but I guess I had to have known that's where things would have led. Anyway, I felt really disgusting afterwards, but I was still too young to understand that it was because I wasn't attracted to men," Santana sighed and looked up to see Brittany had scooted around to face her. Their knees were now touching and she was glad for the familiar contact.

"What happened after that?" Brittany asked, playing with the fingers on the Latina's hand gently. Santana enjoyed the sensation of Brittany's thumb making soothing circles on her skin.

"Like any teenage boy, he went back to school and bragged to all his friends and then the rumors flew," Santana shrugged. It was a long time ago and she was past it, but she still wished that her first time could have been with Brittany.

"I did it for all the wrong reasons, with the wrong person, at the wrong time and I just don't want that to be your experience," Santana finished, trying to convey to Brittany what she was feeling with her eyes.

* * *

><p>Brittany stared hard into the dark eyed woman across from her. She could just picture the Latina as a young teenager and the thought of what she went through at that age made Brittany incredibly sad.<p>

Without really thinking about it Brittany scooted away from Santana, turned completely around, then leaned back slowly and laid her head in the Latina's lap.

Santana seemed surprised at first, but she quickly relaxed into the new position and adjusted her legs so that way Brittany's head would be more comfortable. The blonde's eyes slid closed as Santana began gently combing her fingers through her hair.

"This might be going too far but... how was it? The first time you were with a woman?" Brittany asked, finding the courage to look up at Santana, who was gazing back down at her lovingly.

It was getting easier and easier to ask talk to Santana, but Brittany knew that even more awkward questions needed to be asked before the night was over. The Latina paused for a moment and seemed to be thinking carefully about her response before speaking.

"I'm not really sure how to describe it. Truthfully, all the relationships I've had with women were just as crappy. The only real difference is that when I have sex with women it feels more natural, and when I have sex with men it just feels wrong and I end up feeling gross afterwards," Santana glanced away and Brittany continued staring up at her. She was being so honest and open and Brittany loved her even more for it.

"So, you've been with a lot of people…" Brittany stated slowly. It wasn't really a question. Brittany knew from their previous conversations that Santana was more experienced than herself. The Latina tilted her head, as if trying to figure out where she was going with this, but she began to speak eventually.

"Yes, I have and I've been tested for STD's, if that's what you're worried about," Santana told her bluntly and Brittany blushed. Truthfully, she hadn't even thought about that, which is another indicator of how naïve she was to all of this stuff. Brittany was just glad that one of them was knowledgeable and, more importantly, responsible.

There was an awkward pause, in which both of them were silent and unsure of how to continue. Then Brittany decided it was her turn to be as honest and open as Santana was being with her.

"I'm afraid you won't love me anymore," Brittany whispered suddenly, cutting the silence and attempting to control the shaking in her voice from the wave of emotion that washed over her. This was the real reason she was nervous and she had to voice it. Santana's face appeared in her vision again, leaning over her. It was obvious from the Latina's expression that she was clearly upset as well.

"Brittany, I'm afraid you won't love _me _anymore. I'm afraid you'll discover that you're not... that you can't love me...that way. I was terrified of that even before we were a couple. I just...I can't...handle that...not after everything," Santana revealed, looking up at the ceiling and taking a calming breath, her eyes shiny with unshed tears.

Brittany sat up and used her hand to guide Santana's face back to hers. She searched the chocolate brown eyes across from her and tried to placate the other woman with a small smile.

"Hey…I love you… No matter what happens. That's not ever going to change. Okay?" Brittany told her firmly.

"I love you too," Santana replied, taking the hand that was holding her face and tenderly kissing it directly in the center of the palm.

Brittany stared once again at the dark eyes across from her and she knew: there was no need to think about this any longer. This was that special moment, she was with that special someone, they had discussed it thoroughly, and she was a hundred percent sure.

* * *

><p>Santana knew it. The way Brittany was looking at her was telling her everything and she wasn't going to stop it this time.<p>

On one hand, she should be incredibly nervous. I mean, she was going to be Brittany's first. This was something that only happened once in a lifetime. Yet...Santana was long past nervous. Coherent thoughts had drifted out of her head the moment Brittany had given her that look.

She stood, and reached out both hands to help the gorgeous blonde woman up. Brittany gladly accepted her hands and stood up to her full height. Santana couldn't deny the fact that she got a secret pleasure from the fact that Brittany was taller than her. She couldn't explain it. It was just this weird thing that attracted her to the blonde even more.

Santana released the blonde's hands and ran her own slowly up the Brittany's arms, snaking them around her neck. Standing on her toes, she craned her face up and captured Brittany's soft lips with her own.

That's when Santana let go.

She gently led Brittany so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed, and she stood in front of her. Now, Santana had the height advantage and she used it to run her hands down Brittany's back, causing the blonde woman to shiver slightly. That small reaction made a surge of adrenaline run through the Latina's body.

Reaching her hand behind her girlfriend's head, Santana slowly lowered Brittany onto the bed, never breaking their fevered kiss. They adjusted so that they were both in a more comfortable position and Santana could feel Brittany relax beneath her.

Feeling braver, Santana began exploring Brittany's long, lean body with her hands. Down her neck, along her collar bone, skimming the edge of her side. When Santana's hand reached Brittany's hip her fingers felt the hem of her soft, cotton t-shirt and she hesitantly slid her hand underneath.

Brittany inhaled sharply against her mouth and Santana paused for a moment, pulling away so that she could search her blue eyes.

"Are you sure about this?" Santana whispered, her hand frozen in its place. Instead of responding, Brittany lifted her head up and captured the Latina's lips with her own, wrapping her arms around Santana's neck and pulling her back down on top of her in the process.

* * *

><p>This was really happening. Brittany could feel the blood pumping through her veins making her heart feel like it was beating out of her chest.<p>

The heat was building between them and Brittany didn't know how much longer she could handle the torture of Santana's hands roving over her body like this.

Brittany could hardly catch her breath between kisses until Santana left her lips and began trailing searing kisses down her neck. Feeling bolder, Brittany wrapped her legs around Santana's, pulling her hips flush with her own, trying to feel every inch of the Latina.

She could feel Santana's hands sliding higher and higher under her shirt, and Brittany was getting more and more impatient. Without warning, she sat up and pulled her shirt up and over her head.

The shock was evident on Santana's face, but Brittany wasn't done yet. She reached forward and hesitantly tugged at the hem of the Latina's shirt, asking permission with her eyes. She didn't know where her courage was coming from, but she didn't question it.

Santana gave her the slightest of nods and Brittany slowly removed her shirt. Her eyes were once again immediately drawn to the cheerleader's toned abs as they often did when Santana was topless.

Lying back down, Brittany's body involuntarily shuddered as Santana continued her trail of kisses lower and lower. Down between her breasts, across the sensitive skin of her stomach, stopping just above the top of her jeans.

Brittany arched her back in pleasure with each and every kiss. More than anything she wanted Santana to keep going. This teasing was becoming too much for her to handle. She needed Santana…now.

As if the Latina could hear her thoughts, Santana stopped her kisses long enough to unbutton Brittany's pants, then slowly pull the zipper down.

The blonde woman couldn't control the shivers that wracked her body as Santana carefully removed her jeans from her legs. She laid there, in nothing but her bra and underwear, watching as Santana moved back up to her lips, kissing her with a fire Brittany had never experienced before.

Kissing her slowly, Brittany reached down as well and unbuttoned the Latina's jeans. She found this was more difficult than Santana made it look, but after fumbling around the bed eventually she was able to pull them off.

After that everything was pretty much a blur for Brittany. All she can remember with certainty is that Santana did something with her mouth that made her feel like she going to explode. She had gripped the sheets in her fists in an attempt to hang on to the feeling but too soon it was over. Everything had gone white and it felt like every cell in her body was bursting.

For a few minutes after that, Brittany remained underneath Santana, attempting to catch her breath. They both lay completely unclothed, their bras and underwear discarded at some point, wrapped up around each other until Brittany regained consciousness.

"That was…," the blonde struggled to find the right words, but none came to mind to describe the amazing feelings she just experienced.

Santana propped her herself up on one elbow beside her and Brittany didn't feel the least bit self-conscious under her gaze. The Latina began tracing lazy circles on her collar bone, sending chills up the blonde's spine, but she hoped Santana would never stop.

"Santana…," Brittany began, unsure of herself again.

"Yea, Britt?" the Latina replied, pausing her ministrations on Brittany's chest long enough to meet her eyes.

I want to…return the favor," Brittany muttered awkwardly. She didn't know how to say it, but judging by the look on the dark haired woman's face she had gotten the message. Santana smiled widely at her and leaned down for a kiss.

* * *

><p>Santana would be lying if she said that she wasn't pleased with herself. All she had wanted was to make Brittany feel amazing and judging by the crumpled sheets, she had done just that.<p>

Now, Brittany was kissing her and that familiar fire was building. For someone who had never done this, she was doing an amazing job and Santana almost wanted her to slow down so she could relish every second.

Brittany hands were unsure at first and hesitant, but Santana was patient and allowed the blonde to explore her body, discovering what got the Latina going. Then there came a point where Brittany's fingers found the magic spot and Santana lost all coherent thought. A loud moan escaped her throat and it seemed to only to spur Brittany on more.

Santana buried her face into the blonde's shoulder and squeezed her eyes shut in a vain attempt to hold onto reality but it was no use. The pressure kept building until Santana thought she couldn't stand it any longer and then… the glorious release where it felt like someone set off fireworks inside her body.

She moaned as her body convulsed uncontrollably as the final waves of pleasure washed over her. A moment later Brittany's face appeared in her vision, smiling brightly.

"How'd I do?" the blonde woman asked, totally amped.

"Mhmmm," Santana murmured, pulling Brittany down on top of her and simply holding her as close to her body as she could.

Santana was about to say something but her mind was becoming fuzzy and she struggled to stay awake. Eventually, she gave up and allowed herself to succumb to sleep, with the comfortable weight of Brittany on top of her.

The Latina only realized that she had fallen asleep when she felt something gently tickling her face. Her eyes fluttered open and were greeted by Brittany's deep blue ones staring back at her.

Sun was shining through the window and Santana realized that she must have slept all night and well into the morning judging by how high it was in the sky already.

Brittany smiled at her and continued tracing Santana's features methodically with the tips of her fingers; down the bridge of her nose, along her jaw line, and around the curve of her ears.

Santana closed her eyes again at the feeling of Brittany's soft caresses. They were still very much naked, but she wasn't complaining. It felt so right to just be here with the blonde woman, wrapped up in each other, oblivious to the world.

"You're beautiful," Brittany whispered, leaning forward and planting a tender kiss on Santana's unturned lips. The Latina sighed with happiness and sunk back into the bed even deeper if that was possible.

"Well, you're amazing," Santana replied after a moment, her voice strained from lack of use. After a pregnant pause, Brittany stood up and began to put her clothes on leaving the Latina cold beneath sheets.

"Where are you going?" Santana asked, following the blonde woman with her eyes as she collected some things off her desk.

"Well, I missed English this morning and we have math exam in about… fifteen minutes," Brittany informed after checking the time on her cell phone.

"Shit!" Santana shot up, the sheets falling off of her body as she raced to get throw some clothes on. She could feel Brittany's eyes on her as she pulled her jeans over her hips and as much as she wanted to just throw them off again and spend the day in bed with Brittany, she knew they had to go to class.

"Hey, I love you," Brittany pulled her back into the dorm just as they were leaving and captured Santana's lips with her own. It caught the Latina off guard but she quickly melted into the passionate kiss.

As soon as it began, it was over and Brittany pulled away, smiling seductively at the Santana and leading her out of the dorm by her hand. Santana couldn't help thinking that for someone who had never done this before, the blonde sure was damn good at it.

* * *

><p><strong>Once again, Glee is back and so am I. Thanks for continuing to read and review this story. I probably over think each and every chapter but this one was by far the hardest to write. Let me know if you think I should bump up the rating to M. I hope this lives up to your expectations! And thanks again!<strong>


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